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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27409285">The Joker's Jester</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairybluewren/pseuds/fairybluewren'>fairybluewren</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types, Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anal Sex, Asexual Jason Todd, Coercion, Community: dckinkmeme, Dubious Consent, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Oral Sex, Post-Under the Red Hood, Sexual Coercion, Unsafe Sex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:08:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>20,206</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27409285</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairybluewren/pseuds/fairybluewren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>For the DC kinkmeme prompt:<br/>"After his latest misadventure, Jason is in Arkham next door to the Joker, which sucks. What sucks even more is the way Joker keeps looking at him, with lust in his eyes.</p><p>However, Jason is nothing if not an opportunist, and between the opportunity to seriously disturb Bruce, the possibility of making the Joker think he’s actually in love and gone through the patented Quinn loyalty treatment before killing him and the fact that like it or not, Joker runs Arkham and you can only say no to him for so long, he just thinks he can maybe make this work. Whether he’s over his head or not remains to be seen."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Joker (DCU)/Jason Todd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>123</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Prompt thread: https://dckinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/1454.html?thread=1920174#cmt1920174</p>
    </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>See the end for the warning.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nobody sits next to Jason in the Arkham cafeteria. It's probably because he's got a pretty violent reputation - he sometimes hears people whispering about the duffle bag thing. He pokes at the unappetizing lunch with a scowl. Overbaked chicken tenders, soupy cream corn, and soggy broccoli. Whatever. He's not about to throw out perfectly good food; there isn't even any mold! He's eaten a lot worse than this.</p><p>He's almost through the meal when he spots the Joker sauntering over. The background murmur of the cafeteria falls silent. He snarls wordlessly and quickly finishes his food, grabbing the plastic fork and standing up. "What the fuck do you want?" he spits.</p><p>The Joker eyes him, smiling widely. "Just wanted to say hi to my favorite little birdie."</p><p>Jason wants to launch himself at the Joker and use the fork to stab his eye out. But there's at least one security guard in the room, and he can see the bulge of what's obviously a concealed knife or gun underneath the Joker's asylum jumpsuit.</p><p>"You said hi. Now leave," he demands.</p><p>"That isn't very nice of you, Jason," the Joker says, and Jason tenses. "Do you have a last name? The file never said."</p><p>Jason says nothing.</p><p>"Well, that's okay." The Joker licks his lips and stares intently at Jason. "Can I call you J?"</p><p>Jason slams his fist on the table. "No!"</p><p>"Now what did that table do to you, huh? Did it let you die in a warehouse?"</p><p>Green fills his vision. He breathes in and out, not reacting. He has to remember that the Joker is armed and he is not.</p><p>The Joker giggles, and leans in. Jason leans back. "You almost look like Batsy, you know. You're a chip off the ol' block! He must be so proud that you're almost as tall as him."</p><p>Why are they talking about Batman? What's the Joker's angle?</p><p>His confusion must have shown, because the Joker grins even wider for a moment. "I can see that any hints will just fly over your head, so let me say this clearly: why don't you come to my room after lights out? We could have some fun. Do some roleplay. Up for being your Batdad?"</p><p>Jason jerks back as he understands, and were it not that he hates throwing up, hates wasting food, he would have vomited right then.</p><p>"Think on it, J! I know I'll be thinking on it! Long and hard!" He giggles and pats Jason's shoulder. Jason slaps the hand away, backing up, and the Joker barks out a laugh. "Call me! Or, you know, the guard. He'll be kind and escort you over."</p><p>The Joker leaves the cafeteria. Jason snarls and dumps the styrofoam tray in the nearest garbage.</p><hr/><p>As Jason sits on his cot, fingers twirling the stolen, broken plastic knife from the cafeteria, he thinks about the Joker's offer.</p><p>The Joker really isn't his type at all - disregarding the fact that the guy features in most of his nightmares and also, well, killed him. Plus, it would probably be a bad idea to get with his dad's nemesis. It'd almost be like dating Selina, yuck. Bruce would hate it.</p><p>He laughs softly. Yeah, Bruce <em>would</em> hate it, wouldn't he? And with the Joker in his corner, he could probably break out of Arkham even sooner. A double breakout. Him and the Joker. And then once that freak's back is turned, he'll kill him then and there. No more fucking theatrics. Batman won't kill. Fine. But Red Hood <em>will.</em></p><p>He slips the half of the plastic knife into his jumpsuit's hard collar, behind his neck. Maybe he could try and skip a few steps in his plan and kill the clown right there. Hell, if he manages that, he'll be able to leverage it to break out of Arkham sooner: tons of people in Gotham hate the Joker.</p><p>"Hey," he says, kicking at the cell's bars and looking at the guard nearby. Shorter than him, thin, middle-aged, with a bit of a dark beard on his pale face. "Take me to that clown."</p><p>The guard raises an eyebrow. "Turn around. Hands behind your back."</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, shorty." He turns and waits for the cell to open, and for the metal handcuffs to click around his wrist. He could have taken out the guard, but he hasn't been in the asylum long enough to figure out where any of the exits are. Better to wait and gather more intel.</p><p>The guard leads him to the Joker's cell. Jason makes a note of all the turns it takes, and waits as the guard unlocks it. Unlike with Jason, the guard doesn't make the Joker turn around and stick out his hands.</p><p>The Joker is leaning back on his cot, smiling in what Jason can only describe as 'malicious delight'.</p><p>The guard smirks at Jason, shoving him into the door opening. "Have fun," he says as Jason steels himself, striding into the cell. The guard locks the door behind him and doesn't stick around.</p><p>Fuck, he didn't take off the handcuffs. Jason's breath is coming a little quicker now, but he tries his best to calm down.</p><p>"J! You came! And gift-wrapped for me, too. How thoughtful," the Joker croons, and reaches under the cot to drag out fuzzy green handcuffs. Jason bluescreens for a moment, uncomprehending that the Joker keeps sex handcuffs underneath his prison bed.</p><p>Then the Joker drags a small pistol from inside his jumpsuit and aims it at Jason.</p><p>Jason swallows, his heartbeat now sprinting. He can't get the knife out in time, not with where he's stored it. Stupid! He should have planned for not being uncuffed.</p><p>"Turn around, J." He waves the gun a little, but not enough for Jason to take advantage.</p><p>Fuck, this is so bad. What had he been thinking? That he could piss off his dad? That's not worth a bullet in the brain.</p><p>"Why? Wanna look at my ass?" he asks, and the Joker laughs. Jason does slowly turn around, though.</p><p>Trying to use the box-breathing technique is not really working for Jason, but not trying at all will just lead him to a panic attack.</p><p>One cuff snaps around his right wrist, above where he's regularly handcuffed, and then the Joker is in his space, grabbing the other end of the fuzzy handcuff and snapping it around a cell bar. The Joker turns the safety back on and places the gun in his jumpsuit again.</p><p>"I'm not so sure you had honest intentions in coming here, J. Did you want to try and kill me? That's so boring. I can think of something else to pass the time, you know..."</p><p>He unzips Jason's jumpsuit all the way down, and Jason jerks back, hitting the cell bars.</p><p>He swallows.</p><p>The Joker is way too fucking close to his dick.</p><p>"When I can get one of those ball-gags in here, you can return the favor, J. I figure you'd try to bite." He pats Jason's thigh and presses his nose into Jason's gray boxers, right against his dick, sniffing slightly.</p><p>"Fuck," Jason gasps. The sensation is good, and he hasn't had an orgasm in a while. Definitely not since before Arkham. He refuses to jerk off in his cell, refuses to let anyone be a voyeur, but it looks like he's not going to get a choice here.</p><p>The Joker sits back on his legs and slips Jason's boxers down, grabbing his dick and holding it out so he could look at it.</p><p>"Not bad. Got a good heft. Thick." Then the Joker's mouth is on his dick and Jason swallows back a moan. His dick hardens as the Joker licks it.</p><p>Jason can't believe he's getting a blowjob from the goddamn Joker. His first blowjob ever, actually. It's...</p><p>He throws his head back and bites his lip, trying not to moan as the Joker sucks.</p><p><em>Oh, fuck. I'm not going to last long,</em> Jason thinks in embarrassment. His breath stutters as the Joker holds Jason's thighs down and takes more of Jason inside his mouth.</p><p>When he looks back at the Joker, the man winks at him and begins to hum what he thinks is a new pop song that's been playing on the radio in the courtyard.</p><p>It's too much. Jason comes with a gasp, back arching, and the Joker swallows, continuing to suck until he's whimpering at the sensation. Then the Joker backs away, Jason's now soft dick falling from his mouth.</p><p>"See? <em>That</em> was more fun than a boring murder attempt. 'Scuse me." And then he unzips his jumpsuit and takes his own dick out of his pants, stroking himself. He kicks at Jason's ankles, and Jason stumbles, falling onto his butt. The cement of the floor is cold, even through the jumpsuit.</p><p>The Joker moves his hand faster now, and then steps in closer. "Say 'aaah', birdie!"</p><p>The mental image that comes to Jason brings confusion and slight amusement. It just feels like such a weird thing to say.</p><p>Jason refuses to acknowledge that he's found something the Joker said to be funny, and instead sets his mouth in a thin line.</p><p>"Or I could come all over your face," the Joker suggests, still stroking his pale dick. Okay, yeah, he doesn't want that. Jason opens his mouth somewhat, and realizes that he can't keep his eyes off what the Joker is doing. He feels like one of those people who stare at car wrecks.</p><p>Is this what his life has become? He's gonna suck the Joker off? The fucking <em>Joker?</em></p><p>The Joker steps forward again and places the tip of his dick against Jason's lips. Not far enough in that Jason can bite, but enough that any come will enter his mouth. The Joker continues to stroke his dick, giggling and stuttering out a grunt. At the same time, spurts of come land on his tongue. Jason stills, surprised at the somewhat salty taste, and waits for the Joker to finish before pulling away.</p><p>Finally he stops, but then he leans forward and uses both hands to clamp Jason's jaw and nostrils shut. "Swallow like a good bird!"</p><p>Jason kicks out, disgusted at how his mouth is currently full of the Joker's come, ew, fuck, and tries to shake the Joker off him. But the Joker is a lot stronger than he looks, and Jason can't get the leverage to get him away, especially since the Joker's moved to the side so none of his kicks can land.</p><p>Jason swallows heavily, nearly gagging at the taste, and feels nauseous. He has a habit of doing things impulsively, and this whole event might be one of his worse decisions.</p><p>The Joker lets go when he sees Jason's throat bob, and smiles brightly. "Don't tell your dad about us, J, he'll come at me with a batarang!"</p><p>"You mean he'll come at <em>me</em> with a batarang," he says bitterly and without thinking. Inwardly he curses himself for giving the Joker ammunition of any kind.</p><p>The Joker laughs.</p><p>"Sheesh, are there no good parents out there anymore? I know it's hard that he always chooses me over you, but I promise to pick you over him every other Thursday. Cross my heart." He makes an exaggerated motion across his chest and then tucks himself back into his underwear and zips his jumpsuit back up.</p><p>"It's a Tuesday." Jason's tone is dry.</p><p>"Well, then, it's your lucky day! ... Actually, it's night. Anyway, let's get you back to your own prison cell, J. Sharing cells is third date behavior, and I don't put out before then."</p><p>Jason barks an incredulous laugh at that line. They just had oral sex!</p><p>The Joker pats Jason's cheek and then leans over to unlatch the fuzzy handcuff from the cell bar. They must be one of the kind you can unlock without a key. Makes sense. They're toy handcuffs. Well. Adult toy handcuffs.</p><p>He grabs Jason's dick again, but this time just to slip it into Jason's boxers, and then he zips Jason's Arkham jumpsuit back up again.</p><p>Jason stands up when the Joker steps away, and casually leans against the bars. It's an act, of course - he's still anxious.</p><p>"You give every guy who enters your cell a blowjob?" he asks, unable to keep his mouth shut. It's kind of a bad habit.</p><p>The Joker leers at him. "Just you, pumpkin. Well, Harley ain't a guy, but I give her oral too." He flashes white teeth at Jason.</p><p>That's a little more than what Jason wanted to know about the Joker and Harley's relationship, but it's not exactly a surprise.</p><p>"Aren't I special." If he could get out of these handcuffs without being noticed... but the Joker still has a gun, and is on the other side of the cell now. He's not sure he'd have enough time to make it across before getting shot.</p><p>The Joker yawns and slaps the wall a few times. "Guard! Hey, guard! We're done here!" he yells.</p><p>Damn. His chance is leaving.</p><p>But that's okay. Jason can be patient. He just has to wait for the right moment to strike.</p><p>The guard from before walks to the cell, unlocking the cell and dragging Jason out. "Enjoyed yourselves?" he leers.</p><p>"Jealous?" Jason asks, and the guard laughs, shoving him forward so that he stumbles. Bastard.</p><p>"I'll be thinking of you, J!" the Joker calls, and when Jason looks back, he's pretending to give a blowjob. Jason flushes and turns back, and the Joker laughs.</p><p>Later, when Jason is back in his own cell, he puts his face in his hands for a moment. Jesus fucking Christ. That really happened.</p><p>Then he shakes his head and falls back onto the cot. He's tired. He can think about his bad life choices in the morning.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warning: Due to the threat of violence, Jason is unable to back out of sex.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I would post the warning at the end, but the end line <i>is</i> what needs warning, so: warning of slight suicidal ideation at the end.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day, Jason goes to the asylum library, as he has been doing since he got thrown in here. The library is better than Jason's elementary school library, at least, but that's an almost pathetic standard to beat. The room is smaller than the Arkham cafeteria, but larger than what he remembers a classroom to be. All the shelves are stacked against the walls, so no one can hide behind or beside one. Collapsible wood tables are arranged in rows, and each has plastic and metal chairs nearby.</p><p>He's sitting in a chair near the back, thumbing through <em>The Count of Monte Cristo</em> for a reread when the door opens. As always, he looks up to see who's entering the room, and stills as he locks gazes with the Joker.</p><p>"J!" the Joker shouts, waving and then practically running over. "You disappeared. I wondered where you had gotten to."</p><p>Now Jason's annoyed, and vaguely sick as always from seeing the Joker. He had been annoyed enough of people interrupting him reading during school, and that had been years ago.</p><p>"What do you want?" he asks, memorizing the page number and shutting the book. There's only a few other people in the library, and they're all either trying to pretend nothing is happening or watching with interest. Jason glares at the guy watching them and then watches warily as the Joker approaches a bookshelf, grabbing a huge book seemingly at random.</p><p>"I figured I'd spend some time with you, J!" He grins, and pulls out the chair opposite Jason to sit down, falling back into a slouch.</p><p><em>Okay. Fine. Remember the plan, Jason.</em> He grimaces and sighs. "Whatever."</p><p>The book the Joker's got in his hands is... the dictionary? What? Even Jason doesn't read those.</p><p>A smaller book edges over the top of the dictionary until Jason sees the title and bright cover. It's a joke book. Of course. The Joker giggles and then shifts the book back down after a minute.</p><p>When it becomes apparent that the Joker isn't going to do anything - for now, at least - Jason opens his book again. It's hard to get back into it, though, with the clown <em>right next to him.</em> Jason grits his teeth.</p><p>Giving the book his complete focus would be stupid with the Joker so close, anyway. Jason realizes he's read the entire page without comprehending anything and scowls, starting back from the top.</p><p>Every so often, he flicks his gaze back up to make sure the Joker isn't doing anything, and each time the Joker seems engrossed in his joke book.</p><p>Eventually, the Joker drops the books on the table, nearly making Jason jump, and then stands up, stretching. "Well, that's enough reading for today. See ya soon, pumpkin," he says, leaving the books where they are, and blows an exaggerated kiss at Jason.</p><p>Jason flushes, leaning back a little in his seat, and doesn't respond. He still watches the Joker until the man leaves, and doesn't relax even then.</p><p>He makes it through a few more pages before the guy from earlier, the one who was staring, walks over.</p><p>"So... are you hooking up with him?" the man asks. He's got brown skin, acne scars across his forehead, and curly dark hair.</p><p>
  <em>Oh my god.</em>
</p><p>Jason has had it with people interrupting him while he's reading. He slams the book shut. "I come in here to read. Not talk. Get the <em>fuck</em> away from me unless you enjoy having broken bones."</p><p>"Fucking asshole, I was just askin' a question!" the man spits, shaking his head before moving back to the seat he was sitting in.</p><p>Jason flips him off and returns back to his book.</p>
<hr/><p>The week passes with more random visits from the Joker, either in the cafeteria or courtyard or library. Each time is as stressful as the first, but Jason doesn't make any move to get violent or try to make him leave. He's still got the goal of getting close enough to the Joker to take him down, and though he can't get himself to be less prickly, he decides that the Joker probably would see through any kind of sweet act.</p><p>Jason waits for the other shoe to drop, for whatever escalation the Joker has planned, and it keeps him on edge the entire week. He doesn't sleep well in general, not since coming back, but this week leaves him exhausted, constantly waking up in the middle of the night.</p><p>He wakes up groggily Wednesday night or Thursday morning, feeling weirder than normal. His mouth is dry and he has a nasty headache.</p><p>"Hey, J. J-bird. Wake up." A hand pats his cheek, and Jason nearly panics at the unwelcome, familiar voice.</p><p>As he opens his eyes and tries to move away, he realizes that his hands are cuffed together in front of him. His legs each have a separate manacle with a chain that snakes down to presumably attach to the metal legs of the cot. He can roll off the bed, but he'll probably have to spend a couple of seconds lifting the cot to get the chains free.</p><p>"What? No breakfast in bed? I'm disappointed," Jason says, wiggling into a sitting position and trying to hide his fear.</p><p>"Well, I'm a terrible cook. Trust me, you do not want to eat my scrambled eggs. Pretty sure the last guy died." The Joker pauses. "Though... thinking back on it, that was probably because it was laced with Joker venom." He laughs to himself.</p><p>"Okay. Great. Thanks for the reminder. Now-" he almost says 'get the hell out of my room' but remembers his goal and changes tract. "- what the hell are you doing here?"</p><p>"Well, I thought it was time for another date! You aren't curious how you got tied up, though?"</p><p>"Slow acting sedative in my dinner? Knock out gas while I was asleep?" Either way, he's still bound, at the Joker's unpredictable mercy.</p><p>The Joker grins and nods. "That's right, it was knock out gas! I'm <em>so</em> terribly sorry about all the restraints, J, but I know you've just got all these <em>murderous urges</em> that you can't fully control. I get it. Mister J understands."</p><p>"Oh, no, not me. I channel all my violence into healthy activities like baking and writing," Jason says, almost but not quite a snarl, and tugs at a chain without meaning to.</p><p>The Joker laughs. "Oh, you are a <em>hoot!</em> Anyway, I brought a gift, too," he says, and pulls something thin and black from his jumpsuit. "Tada! It's a gag that will keep your mouth open! Ready to return the favor?" He wags his eyebrows.</p><p>Oh, fuck.</p><p>Jason grimaces. "Let's... save that for the next date?" he suggests, though he's preparing himself mentally for giving his first blowjob. He doesn't expect the Joker to let him say no.</p><p>The Joker pouts. "It's rude to outright refuse a gift, J, but I guess if you're not in the mood tonight, we can just cuddle." Oh. That's a surprise.</p><p>Then the Joker practically jumps onto the cot, pulling Jason down so they're spooning.</p><p>Jason tenses and stops himself from throwing his head back against the Joker's face. The Joker places an arm around Jason, pulling himself in so his crotch is almost against Jason's butt. Then the Joker begins to lazily play with Jason's hair.</p><p>Jason is still, barely even daring to breath. What the fuck is this?</p><p>He could probably handle sex. But cuddling is... it's too much. He's freaking out. The Joker is too close to him.</p><p>"So, J, tell me about yourself. Where'd you grow up?"</p><p>The question brings him back out of his panicked thoughts, and he debates whether to answer truthfully or not. He takes a moment to calm down a little and answers: "Crime Alley." And then, because he's curious: "You?"</p><p>"Spent some time there as a young child, I think. Moved all around the fun parts of Gotham."</p><p>"The fun parts?" he asks, though he's pretty sure he already knows.</p><p>"You know, Crime Alley, the Bowery, the Narrows. Anywhere people murder and are murdered." The hand in his hair tightens for a moment before the Joker decides to start petting it instead.</p><p>Jason isn't sure if the Joker is telling the truth or not. Does it even matter? Jason's not going to suddenly <em>like</em> him because they grew up in the same shitty places. Plenty of Crime Alley people are scumbags.</p><p>"Uh-huh."</p><p>Jason can't tell how long they stay like that. It's tense, and the Joker's breath is hot on his neck. But at the same time, there's part of him that enjoys being held. When was the last time he had been hugged? Before his deat- before he got on that plane, he thinks.</p><p>Eventually the Joker sits up, yawning. "Like I said, J, I better get back to my own cell. Don't want a reputation of bein' too easy."</p><p>The innuendo doesn't land as it did last time, as Jason is used to this specific line now. "Well, don't let me keep you," he says, and sits up as the Joker leaves the bed. It'll be awkward to explain the chains to the guard in the morning, but "it was the Joker" will probably work.</p><p>Then the Joker grabs Jason's face with his hands, leaning in.</p><p>This feels just as uncomfortable and weird as when the Joker decided to suck Jason's dick. The Joker is staring into Jason's eyes, and Jason hates it. "You need something?" Jason finally asks.</p><p>"How about a goodnight kiss?"</p><p>When Jason's lips twitch in a grimace, the Joker laughs and then mashes their lips together for a moment. He lightly bites at Jason's lip and then pulls back before Jason can return the bite in a more violent way.</p><p>"Well, good night, J!" he says, and pulls a fake flower from his jumpsuit’s left ankle.</p><p>Fuck. Those flowers usually have Joker Venom or some kind of acid in them. Once or twice it’s been just plain water - but he really can't take the chance with those odds. He’s not dying here. Not before the Joker.</p><p>"Let's get you to bed!"</p><p>Jason dodges the first spray, ducking underneath the Joker's arm, and headbutts the Joker in the stomach, knocking the Joker back. He immediately rolls off the bed, kicking at the underside with his feet, and jerks the manacles away from the metal legs. The cot clangs against the wall.</p><p>The Joker gets up, looking annoyed, and Jason kicks outward, trying to strike the Joker with the chain and manacle.</p><p>Annoyingly enough, he dodges, and Jason has to dodge back to avoid getting hit by his own attack. The Joker aims the flower again, and Jason drops, rolling onto his front to get momentum for a push-up to get him standing. Jason tries to knock the flower out of the Joker's hands, but the Joker dodges to the side, and Jason takes the opportunity to sweep the Joker's legs.</p><p>He crumples, surprised, and Jason grabs the Joker's throat with his hands, headbutting him. The Joker is stunned, which gives Jason the opportunity to quickly take his cuffed hands from the Joker’s throat to rip the flower away. The Joker is taller than him, but Jason’s heavier, and he uses that weight to hold the Joker against the wall. His hands come back up for the Joker’s throat as the man recovers from the headbutt.</p><p>Instead of looking afraid, the Joker smiles. "J- you're killing me here," he laughs.</p><p>"That's the idea," Jason agrees, eyes bright, teeth bared, pushing harder against the Joker’s trachea.</p><p><em>Finally. Finally, finally,</em> finally-</p><p>Gas erupts from the vents. The Joker giggles, and Jason tries to dig in. There isn't enough time! He has to keep strangling him until he passes out and then for minutes afterward, so he doesn't recover-</p><p>His grip slackens, and Jason snarls, trying to fight the sudden weakness, but he can't, he's falling, the Joker's spraying a different flower in his own face, everything's smearing and turning black...</p>
<hr/><p>Jason wakes up feeling dizzy, parched, and nauseous; and on top of all that, he has a pounding headache.</p><p>He stays still, breathing slowly, deeply, and tries to take stock of what's going on. He's not tied up anymore. Listening intently for minutes reveals no one else's breathing, so he slowly opens his eyes, wincing at the bright hallway lights. They're not usually this bad.</p><p>He shuffles over to the sink in his cell, running the tap water and drinking from it. Probably toxic as hell and straight from the notoriously polluted Sprang, but he's already died once, so whatever.</p><p>The chains are all gone. Fucking fantastic. Just what he's always wanted: to wake up after being drugged with no idea of what else the Joker's done.</p><p>Time passes. It's too early for breakfast, and Jason can't get back to sleep. He passes the time by pacing in his cell, feeling like a caged tiger. The penchant for mauling is similar, after all.</p><p>A shadow appears, and Jason narrows his eyes. This is a <em>familiar</em> shadow.</p><p>"Jason."</p><p>"Batman. Here to finally visit your son?" Jason forces himself to relax and lean against the wall. "It's been two weeks. Was worried you forgot about me."</p><p>Batman says nothing for a long moment. "I wanted to let you settle in. You seemed so angry-"</p><p>"There was no <em>seem</em>, Batman! I <em>was</em> and <em>am</em> angry!"</p><p>A pause. "Here you can learn to control the Lazarus pit triggers. I had hoped your therapist would help you."</p><p>Jason stares at Batman, eyes narrowing, mouth opening. "Are you for real? What therapist? The only person who's talked to me for more than five minutes lately is the fucking Joker!"</p><p>Batman's mouth twitches downward before returning to stillness. "That's- You should be on separate time schedules. There should be no contact between the two of you."</p><p>Jason grins widely, mockingly. "Oh, well, next time he follows me into the library I'll tell him my dad says we can't play together anymore."</p><p>"Jason. What did you do?"</p><p>Jason heaves a deep breath, trying not to react. "Always the same with you, old man. What did you do, Jason, did you kill that rapist scumbag, did you try and avenge yourself, did you-" He breaks off. "Maybe if you didn't want me tryin' to murder the Joker here, you should've shipped me to Blackgate instead of Arkham."</p><p>Jason thinks about telling Bruce what happened in the Joker's cell, but decides not to. One blowjob does not make a relationship. Besides, it'll cut deeper however the Joker will say it.</p><p>"So how long am I gonna be <em>grounded,</em> then?" Jason asks when Batman doesn't respond.</p><p>"You'll be placed on house-arrest in 6 weeks."</p><p>"Gee. Can't wait." So that's his time limit. He'll have to get out of here before then. He'd rather gnaw off his arm than be forced to live at the Manor again.</p><p>Batman looks weary. Not in his face, which is as still as the stone gargoyles, but in his body language.</p><p>"Jason..."</p><p>Jason responds by flipping him off.</p><p>"I'll look into the therapist issue," Batman eventually says.</p><p>"Yeah? Don't bother. You think a shrink at a prison has ever helped anyone? Has the Joker ever gotten less evil because he talked out his <em>feelings</em> here at Arkham?" He pauses, breathing heavily. "I still- I still can't fucking believe you put me in the same building as the man who murdered me. Get the fuck out. Get out. Get <em>out!"</em></p><p>Whatever Batman sees on Jason's face is enough to make him decide to leave, instead of pushing further. Jason feels relieved and angry and sad all at once, and takes a deep breath, steadying himself so he doesn't shed any tears.</p><p>He falls back on his cot and thinks to himself: <em>I wish I never got out of that grave.</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Some minor continuity edits in this chapter from the kinkmeme version. See the end notes for warnings.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jason is starting to have second thoughts about this whole endeavor. It might be better to just get out of Arkham, leave Gotham for a while, let the heat die down, and try to kill the Joker later.</p><p>He doesn't like the idea - it feels like giving up. But he also admits to himself that the Joker is unpredictable, violent, and unsettling. Either way, Jason decides he needs to get serious about making a plan to get out of here.</p><p>Scouting during his usual library time sounds like the best bet to him. He vaguely remembers seeing a few maps of Arkham back when he was Robin, but it's been years. His memory's not <em>that</em> good.</p><p>While the inmate/inpatient areas don't have any maps on the walls, the worker areas probably do. It's OSHA regulation to have maps that show evacuation routes in case of a fire - unless OSHA law has been changed since he was Robin. He hasn't checked. Jason is pretty sure that for the Arkham Asylum, <em>prisoner</em> evacuation means huddling in the courtyard and hoping the fire and smoke won't kill them.</p><p>There's a guy who guards the library on weekdays. Dark skin, tall, keeps his hair short. He'll let people use the nearby restroom on their own, because it's assumed that prisoners in the library won't make as much trouble as prisoners in the courtyard. (The daily basketball matches can get... violent.)</p><p>Jason figures he can get away with being gone for twenty minutes. The guard will just assume he's taking a shit.</p><p>"Hey. Gotta use the toilet," Jason says, approaching the guard. He looks up from his book, nodding, and Jason 'accidentally' bumps into the table and trips. The guard blinks and gets up.</p><p>"Shit, you okay?" He offers a hand.</p><p>"Yeah, sorry. Wasn't looking," Jason says, grabbing the offered hand and pulling himself up. As he does so, he uses his other hand to grab the guard's ID badge while he's distracted.</p><p>Jason shields the badge with his body, acting casual. He closes the door behind him and then immediately turns left, toward the nearest locked door. The lock itself is kind of insulting; he could easily slide a plastic knife to hold down the middle part of the latch and open the door that way, but since he's got a badge, he'll just use that.</p><p>He holds up the badge to the black rectangle attached to the wall near the door. The top of the rectangle beeps and turns from red to green after a moment. Jason turns the handle and pulls open the door.</p><p>Jason's heart rate picks up a bit. He's good at hiding and sneaking around, but he's also 6 feet tall and standing in the middle of a brightly lit hallway. There's a corridor way up ahead, and signs plastered on the wall nearby. One of them is a map.</p><p>Yes!</p><p>He focuses on the map, memorizing the locations. The worker break room is in the corridor ahead on the left. If he turns right at the corridor, there's two restrooms. He could hide in those, if he needed. If he goes right, there's a left turn, leading to a few unmarked rooms, and arrows helpfully pointing to the nearest exit in case of a fire. There's barbed fences around the asylum itself, but he can deal with that.</p><p>He has all the info he needs to make an escape, but he wants to see where the nearest outside doors lead. Either a walkway or an employee parking lot, probably. A parking lot would be better. He knows how to hotwire cars. They might ask for a badge before he can leave, if he uses a car, so he glances at the ID badge. Astoundingly, it shows that they're not even <em>photo</em> ID badges, just general employee badges.</p><p>Good for him and his eventual escape, but no wonder Arkham is a goddamn revolving door.</p><p>If anyone tries to stop him, he'll claim that the door was unlocked and he thought it was okay for him to enter. If they see through it, he'll probably surrender. Getting injured will just mean being easy prey for the Joker. If he's injured badly enough, he might not be able to escape in time before he's moved to the Manor - and that will be much, much harder to escape from.</p><p>He decides to risk a possible encounter and strides forward, briskly but not running. He checks to make sure there's no one in the corridor before turning right. There isn't. So far so good.</p><p>The left turn has him pausing; there's someone heading outside. Maybe for a smoke break? It's not time for a shift change yet.</p><p>Jason waits for a few moments, glancing behind him to check that it's still clear, and then follows. The doors are solid, with no windows. He counts to ten and then nudges open the nearest door.</p><p>Okay, it's to the parking lot. Good. Now he needs to get back before he's missed.</p><p>Before he can turn right, he notices someone else heading toward the exit, and he quickly doubles back, taking the chance that there's someone in the restroom. Luckily, there isn't. He hides in a stall, ears strained.</p><p>Footsteps grow close and then pass by. Jason waits fifteen seconds and peeks to check outside the restroom. The hallway is clear. He checks the turn ahead, and that long hallway is clear too.</p><p>Back to his brisk walk. He slows as he turns, and thankfully the hallway back to the inmate area is clear as well. He doesn't relax until he passes through the door, heading back to the library.</p><p>He nods at the guard, badge hidden in a sleeve, and the guard turns back to his book. Jason times the badge to drop to the ground near the guard just as the door loudly shuts behind him, and heads back to his table. The guard will just think he dropped his own badge, now.</p><p>Grinning to himself, he shakes his head slightly and decides to get back to reading.</p><p>Jason will decide whether to go through with the 'get close to the Joker' plan later. For now, he's going to read.</p>
<hr/><p>After breakfast the next day, there's a change in his routine. A different guard marches him to the therapy rooms.</p><p><em>Great. So Bruce did set me up with a therapist here. Awesome.</em> He’s not looking forward to it.</p><p>The guard uncuffs him, to Jason’s surprise, and then opens the door. Jason rolls his eyes before entering.</p><p>The room is smaller than he expects. There's an old looking chair in the middle. An intercom buzzes.</p><p>"Hello, Jason, this is your therapist, Doctor Jordan," the Joker says, voice immediately recognizable and Jason immediately turns around and tries to leave.</p><p>"No. Not doing this," he says, and grabs the door handle. Fuck. Locked.</p><p>"Jason, was it? I'm afraid you can't leave just yet. We have an hour of therapy to cover!"</p><p>"I'm good."</p><p>"Non-compliant... will likely need <em>more</em> sessions," the Joker says in an undertone. Jason can hear the Joker writing on some paper.</p><p>"Fuck off," Jason says, beginning to pace around the room.</p><p>"So, it says on your sheet that you have a history of anger problems. Would you like to clarify that for me, Jason?"</p><p>"No."</p><p>"Jason, if you refuse to participate in therapy, I'll be forced to assign you medication to take instead. Let's see... for anger issues... Smilex should work."</p><p>"That's not an FDA approved drug," Jason says, and bares his teeth in a grimace. <em>Like that's going to stop the Joker, idiot. Fuck. Fine, I can just make shit up.</em> "Okay, I'll talk." He roughly sits on the chair, leaning back and crossing his arms and legs.</p><p>"Great! So, Jason... hm. Mysteriously, your file has been updated with a last name. Wonder who could have done that. Anyway, Mister Jason Haywood-"</p><p>Jason's grimace grows. Seriously? Bruce put the egg donor's last name on his file?</p><p>"-where would you like to start? When did your anger problems begin?"</p><p>"Well, it all started when I was born," Jason snarks.</p><p>"'Came out of the womb pissed as hell' - noted." The Joker giggles. "Must have caused problems for your mother."</p><p>"Only as much as any kid would."</p><p>The Joker hums. "And your early life?"</p><p>"Well, I lived life in a haze of anger until I tried to steal the tires from the Batmobile. Then Batman decided to make me his sidekick." Obviously, the 'haze of anger' thing is bullshit, but he's not telling the Joker anything that can hurt him.</p><p>"Wow, that's ballsy. So, Mr. Haywood, would you say you have anger issues regarding Batman? After all, he locked you in here! Not to mention, he chose strangers over you - you know, if he had gotten to that warehouse a few minutes sooner, he could have gotten you out. But he let you die."</p><p>Jason grips the armrests so hard he thinks he might be ripping the fabric off. A green haze filters over his vision. "Shut up," he says, and then realizes that will just goad on the Joker. "I- I'm not mad at him for that."</p><p>"Are you sure, Mr. Haywood? Because I'd like to remind you that being Robin directly led to your death. What kind of father makes his son fight masked villains at night?"</p><p>Jason is spiraling. "I wanted to be Robin," he says, breath coming quicker. The room is so plain. The white bricks are uniform. There's nothing to distract him.</p><p>"A father who truly loved you would have said no. In the end, he just wanted another little soldier for his caped crusade."</p><p>"Shut <em>up,"</em> Jason hisses. It doesn't even matter. Who cares if no one loves him. If his mother, the only person who ever loved him, has been dead for nearly a decade now. He lets out a silent cry and then digs his fingernails into his arms. It's not enough; he barely feels it.</p><p>He stands up, feeling like he's going to vibrate out of his own skin, and then punches himself in the left arm. Then he punches again and again until he's sure he's left a bruise. He thought about punching the wall, but decided that a bruise would be better than broken fingers.</p><p>"Mr. Haywood, are you listening?"</p><p>"What?" Jason rasps.</p><p>"I said, this seems like a good stopping point for your session. Don't want to overwhelm you, of course."</p><p>"Of course," Jason echoes hollowly. The intercom shuts off, and the guard from earlier opens the door.</p><p>He feels off for the rest of the day, like his spirit is partially overlaying his body. Sleep doesn't come easily or restfully.</p>
<hr/><p>Jason wakes up pissed off. The Joker is such a fucking freak. All of what that clown said is bullshit. He's never had a therapy session before, but he's absolutely sure that the Joker should not be a therapist of any kind.</p><p>He needs to decide now: is he staying in Arkham for longer and continuing with the plan, or is he going to escape without the Joker?</p><p>The first option is a bad idea. A really bad idea. But <em>god</em> will it piss Bruce off. Jason is pretty sure spite is his main emotion these days. And Jason has a sense of humor: there's something grimly funny about willingly having sex with the man who killed him. Pretty fucked up, admittedly, but Jason's been fucked up since the Pit.</p><p>Okay. So he's seeing this through, which means he needs to get close enough to the Joker before Batman moves Jason out of Arkham.</p><p>Time for a third date, then.</p>
<hr/><p>Finding the Joker is more difficult than he expects. For once, the clown isn't bothering him in the library or the cafeteria. Jason's eye twitches. The one time he's <em>looking</em> for the Joker…</p><p>Hm. There's a couple of guys who follow the Joker around. One is even in the cafeteria right now. Jason approaches him, a small, malicious smile on his face. "Hey, wannabe-clown. Where's your boss?" Jason does his best to loom menacingly.</p><p>The goon, a short pale man with brown hair, twitches and then manages a fake laugh. He's a little unsettled. "Oh, he's... around?"</p><p>Jason steps closer, letting his height do the heavy lifting of intimidation here. "I want an exact location. Or…" he trails off and smiles, letting the man's imagination fill in the blank. This guy must be new, or completely foolish, to have this sort of disposition and be working for the Joker.</p><p>"J! Are you harassing my poor, innocent henchman over there?"</p><p>Jason whirls, face twitching through multiple emotions before settling into stoicism.</p><p>"Joker."</p><p>The clown is approaching, having just entered the cafeteria.</p><p>"Please, Joker was my father. Call me Mister J." Then the Joker laughs like he's said an incredible joke.</p><p>"I was thinking…" Jason begins, ignoring the previous comment.</p><p>"Dangerous of you."</p><p>The man behind him scuttles off to the side, unsure, before finally stepping back to watch.</p><p>Jason steps closer to the Joker. "I was thinking… we should have another date."</p><p>The Joker raises an eyebrow. "So soon?"</p><p>"Why not? Maybe I want to have some fun."</p><p>The Joker cackles, and then throws his arm around Jason's shoulder. Jason immediately tenses before making himself relax. "J, I'm up for a date and some playtime later today. I'll get a room set up for us."</p><p>He removes the arm from Jason's shoulder, but smacks Jason's ass before he leaves. "It's a date, sweetheart!"</p><p>Jason involuntarily grimaces, and the Joker laughs at his face before leaving the room. The henchman quickly follows.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings: Messed up "therapy" session.</p><p>"Dr. Jordan" is a pun - it kind of sounds like "joudan", which is Japanese for "joke". :P</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>See end notes for warnings.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The room the Joker prepared actually has a bed. Not a metal cot with a thin blanket, but a spring twin mattress on top of a wooden frame.</p>
<p>And on top of the bed is the Joker himself, completely naked, shiny fingers stretching open his asshole. A translucent bottle with a small blue label tilts toward the dip in the bed, thanks to the Joker's weight. The Joker grins as he catches sight of Jason's flushed face.</p>
<p>"J, you made it! Come on, don't make me all embarrassed. Why don't you get out of your clothes? Not like I haven't seen it before," the Joker says, removing his fingers from his ass and reaching behind him with the other hand. Then he levels a taser at Jason. "Really. I insist."</p>
<p>"Not a gun this time?" Jason asks, almost amused. He pauses and then unzips his jumpsuit, not taking his eyes away from the Joker.</p>
<p>"Weeeell, I don't want to kill you <em>again.</em> A joke’s just not funny if you repeat it too much. But don't worry, this is just protection." He giggles to himself. "And it's always important to have sex with protection!"</p>
<p>The jumpsuit pools at Jason's feet, and he steps out of it. Glancing at the Joker's bare feet, he bends to a knee to take off his shoes, still watching the Joker warily.</p>
<p>Jason hasn't had sex before, but he's relieved that this time he's not going to be penetrated. He doesn't delude himself that it won't happen if he continues to cozy up to the Joker, but at least it's not happening tonight.</p>
<p>Then Jason removes his boxers, dropping them on his jumpsuit. The Joker hops off the bed and motions toward it.</p>
<p>Jason climbs onto the bed, sitting down with his legs crossed, and tries not to look nervous. By the look on the Joker's face, Jason doesn't quite succeed.</p>
<p>"Don't worry so much, J. This isn't a pop quiz. No grades."</p>
<p>"Whatever," Jason says, a little sullenly. His heart is picking up speed. He feels almost nauseous with nerves.</p>
<p>He's suddenly reminded of before his entrance to Gotham's underworld. Halfway through decapitating the fourth lieutenant's head, he had paused, nauseous and shaking. The moment of hesitation had crumbled when he remembered that if he stopped there, he would have just killed four men - scumbags, but still human beings - for nothing; and that the plan was already in motion. The drug lords had already been summoned. To back out would have been to completely fuck up the plan, so he had to see it through.</p>
<p>This is how he feels now. It's not how he wanted to lose his virginity. But just like then, he can't back out. He's going to see this through.</p>
<p>The Joker tosses four sets of handcuffs at Jason, one after another. They all land on the bed in front of him. "Now, I don't have a third arm, so for our protection, in case you get all murder-y again, you'll have to cuff yourself to the bed."</p>
<p><em>"Our</em> protection? Wasn't aware handcuffs warded off STDs."</p>
<p>The Joker shakes his head, snorting. "Nah. I'm just saying, J, trying to kill me will get you a session with your ol' pal Mr. Crowbar."</p>
<p>Jason nearly turns white, and finds himself going silent and cuffing himself to the bed: starting with his feet, and then his hands. He can't quite get the last one on his own, so he just lays there on his back, not all mentally present.</p>
<p>"Oh, dear. Bit of crowbar-phobia?" Then he mutters to himself, "What would that be, anyway? Metallophobia? No, no, that's just metal. <em>Kyrt-</em>metallophobia?" He shrugs, and regards Jason again.</p>
<p>Jason comes back from his brief dissociative period in disbelief at how he acted. He just... folded! Immediately did what the Joker said!</p>
<p>Trying to pretend he's not as anxious as he actually is, he clears his throat and says, "So are we gonna have sex, or are you just gonna stare at me all day?"</p>
<p>The Joker approaches, taser still held casually in his off hand, and tests each handcuff before answering. "Looks like we're ready." He closes the last handcuffs.</p>
<p>Jason grimaces as a thought occurs to him. "Uh, backtracking to protection - condoms. You got-"</p>
<p>The Joker interrupts. "J, I'm hurt. You implying we're not exclusive? Oh, <em>wait,</em> I'm also with Harley. Okay, that's fair. Who <em>knows</em> what she gets up to with her lady friends." Then he climbs on top of the mattress, softly lobbing the taser away from them. "But you're a virgin, right, J? And since I'm the one taking dick today, I'm saying we don't need a condom. Sweet of you to think about my health, though." The Joker pats Jason's face, and Jason flushes.</p>
<p>The Joker laughs, and then settles himself on top of Jason's abdomen. His dick is hard, and he strokes himself a few times before he moves backward, leaning forward to press their dicks together.</p>
<p>Jason's dick immediately begins to harden at the sensation. The Joker ruts against him, holding Jason's head with his hands as he goes for a kiss. Jason feels overwhelmed. This is totally different from touching himself on his own. He unthinkingly presses back against the kiss, wanting <em>more</em>.</p>
<p>He's kissed people before, but not like this. Nothing so urgent.</p>
<p>The Joker eventually pulls away with a gasp, cheeks almost rosy. Jason feels just as overheated and out of breath.</p>
<p>"Okay- think that's enough foreplay. Let's strip you of that V-card, J," the Joker says, and maneuvers into a crouch, asshole almost touching Jason's hard dick.</p>
<p>"Fuck," Jason gasps as the Joker's ass brushes against the tip of his dick. He tries to hold in any noises. The Joker takes the opposite approach: his moans and groans fill the room.</p>
<p>Then the Joker reaches under himself and grabs Jason's dick, holding it in place as he slowly moves downward. Thanks to the lube and fingers, the Joker's asshole easily takes it. The Joker lets out a pleased hum. Jason feels like he can't breathe; this is absolutely nothing like his fist - it's a lot better.</p>
<p>Jason tries very hard not to immediately come. The heat, the pressure - it's so much.</p>
<p>The Joker eventually gets the entirety of Jason's dick inside him, looking pleased with himself. He begins to move up and down, using Jason's chest to stabilize himself, and less than a minute passes before Jason moans loudly as he comes. Heat paints across Jason’s face at the noise.</p>
<p>"What, already?"</p>
<p>Jason's head falls back. He needs a moment.</p>
<p>The Joker begins to move again, and Jason's eyes fly open at the stimulation. It's too soon after his orgasm. "Wait-" he manages to get out.</p>
<p>The Joker huffs but stops moving. "Well, you are young. Your file said twenty, but your file also said Haywood, and we both know <em>that's</em> a lie."</p>
<p>Jason presses his mouth together, angry at the mention of the egg donor. "I don't know about you, <em>Mister J,</em> but mentioning the woman who fucking <em>betrayed</em> me is a great way to kill the mood. Personally."</p>
<p>"Ouch, that's right. She did do that, huh?" He laughs, shifting slightly. Jason's dick begins to harden again, and the Joker moans. "Ooooh, yes. This time try to last more than a minute, J!"</p>
<p>The Joker moves up and down again, slowly until Jason's dick is fully hard. Then he starts a rougher pace that has Jason holding back more noises.</p>
<p>Eventually, the Joker moans loudly, spurts of off-white come splattering onto Jason's stomach from his dick. That sensation causes Jason's own approaching orgasm to hit again. Jason falls back onto the bed, feeling wrung out, exhausted, and disgustingly sweaty. The Joker moves off Jason, and Jason's now limp dick falls to his thigh.</p>
<p>Jason is so tired. The combination of not sleeping well for two weeks and two orgasms is nearly overpowering, and only the fact that he really, <em>really,</em> does not want to be asleep around the Joker is keeping him awake.</p>
<p>The Joker doesn't remove any of the handcuffs, but does lay down next to Jason, curling into his side. "Mm. This was fun. Good idea, J."</p>
<p>It's sick that part of Jason perks up at the praise. He tries to press that part down. "Can you uncuff me?" he mumbles.</p>
<p>"I <em>can,</em> but we're cuddling right now. Don't worry, J, I won't do anything to you when you're asleep. Pinky promise." The Joker twists his arm upward to wrap his right pinky around Jason's left pinky.</p>
<p>Jason can't hold on to being awake. He slips into sleep.</p>
<p>He's not sure how long he dozes, but he wakes up when the Joker pulls away from him.</p>
<p>"Sorry, pumpkin, Mister J has to get back to his 9-to-5. These inmates aren't going to terrorize themselves, you know!"</p>
<p>Jason still feels tired and hazy, but forces himself to wake up.</p>
<p>The Joker slips back into his underwear and jumpsuit. Jason watches, eyes dull with exhaustion, too tired to properly think.</p>
<p>After a moment, he remembers the handcuffs. Hm. Maybe he shouldn't seem <em>too</em> eager to get out of them? But he can't play coy and act like he wants to stay in them either; the Joker would definitely call his bluff. While these aren’t anything he can’t get out of on his own, if given the choice, he’d rather just use the key.</p>
<p>He twists his hands, and the Joker turns, almost finished pulling his socks on.</p>
<p>"Hold your horses, J. Gimme a moment." The Joker puts on his shoes and then meanders over to the corner where he tossed the taser. He grabs it and then lightly tosses it up into the air, catching it neatly.</p>
<p>Jason becomes more alert when the Joker approaches. The Joker fumbles in his jumpsuit pocket for a moment before pulling out a tiny key. He uncuffs Jason's right hand first, and then drops the key onto the bed.</p>
<p>Jason rotates his wrist, shaking his hand before grabbing the key. "Thanks," he says.</p>
<p>The Joker grins toothily and waits for Jason to finish uncuffing himself: first the other hand, then his feet.</p>
<p>Jason <em>could</em> try to attack the Joker now - he can take a taser - but he's learned his lesson. The room will have been set up to spray knock out gas if he tries anything. So instead, he walks over to his pile of clothes, quickly dressing himself.</p>
<p>"Now, what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't escort you back to your cell?" He offers his arm. Jason rolls his eyes, but accepts. <em>The plan,</em> he reminds himself, more annoyed at this point than tense.</p>
<p>The guards don't make any move to stop them as they move through the hallways.</p>
<p>"Sweet dreams, J!" The Joker twirls Jason into a full kiss that leaves him breathless and on the edge of arousal. Jason pulls away after a moment, and the Joker laughs and pushes him into his cell. Jason stumbles, and the Joker closes and locks the door.</p>
<p>Jason grimaces.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The next day has a guard escorting Jason from the library. It's the same guard from the first night with the Joker, and he smirks at Jason, saying nothing, but obviously amused.</p>
<p>Jason sneers in response and walks ahead of the guard, hands cuffed in front of him, and hopes he isn't being dragged to another fucked up "therapy" session.</p>
<p>"You've got a visitor," the guard says as they walk.</p>
<p>Batman would just visit in the night, as he’s proven. But who else would visit him?</p>
<p>There's a surge of some emotion he can't identify as Alfred comes to mind. God, Jason hopes Alfred isn't the one visiting him. He doesn't deserve to see him. Not after what he's done.</p>
<p>But part of him does want the visitor to be Alfred.</p>
<p>"Yeah? Who is it?" Jason asks.</p>
<p>"You'll find out. And turn right up ahead," the guard says, sounding smug. Jason rolls his eyes and follows the directions. <em>Power-tripping asshole.</em></p>
<p>Jason enters the visiting room. A glass wall divides it, two chairs on each side of the booth in the middle. Jason sits down in the chair on the prison side. He taps his fingers against the horizontal surface attached to the glass, crossing his legs and waiting, still curious who it will be. Nightwing? Maybe someone else?</p>
<p>The guard moves to stand against the wall, crossing his arms.</p>
<p>After a minute, the door on the other side of the room opens, and a familiar figure in black and blue enters.</p>
<p>"What the fuck," Jason says, sitting up. He hadn't actually thought Dick would visit.</p>
<p>"Yeah, that's what I said when I found out too," Nightwing says, sitting in the opposite chair and fidgeting. Jason hates that Nightwing gets to wear a mask while Jason's entire face is exposed. He feels naked.</p>
<p>"So why are you here?" Jason asks.</p>
<p>"Jesus, Jason. You were-" Nightwing pauses and glances at the guard. "I thought you were <em>dead.</em> Of course I'd visit you."</p>
<p>Jason rolls his eyes. "Well, I'm alive. Ta-da." He goes to make the jazz hands gesture and then stops as he remembers that his hands are cuffed. Irritation crosses his face.</p>
<p>There's an awkward silence between them. Neither says anything for a moment, until Nightwing finally says, "Um. Well. It is good to see you."</p>
<p>Jason stares and says nothing, lip curling a little.</p>
<p>"I mean it. You'll get past the, uh, L. P. stuff-"</p>
<p>Jason leans forward, sneering. "Is that what you and Batman think? That all my actions weren't my own? That some mystical, evil water is puppeting me? Fuck you. Don't deny me my own agency. <em>I</em> killed those eight men. <em>I</em> tried to kill the Joker. That was all <em>me.</em> Not some fucking Pit!"</p>
<p>Nightwing grimaces. "You say that now, but-"</p>
<p>Jason holds up a lone middle finger. Nightwing pinches his nose.</p>
<p>"Okay. Okay. I'll... come back another time, give you more time to cool off. But... I am glad you're back, little wing." With a regretful look, Nightwing turns around and exits.</p>
<p>Jason shakes his head, pissed off. Fucking sanctimonious <em>dick.</em></p>
<p>"’Little wing’?" the guard asks after a moment, moving away from the wall and toward Jason. Jason stands up from the chair, not bothering to push it back in.</p>
<p>An evil idea comes to him. Jason smirks. "Yeah. It's his nickname for me. We used to date for a little bit."</p>
<p>The guard raises an eyebrow. “What, for real?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, in our civilian identities. But don’t ask. I’m not gonna say who he is. We’ve got a mutually assured destruction thing going on. You know how it is.”</p>
<p>“Ah, the atomic bombs of secret identities,” the guard remarks, sounding amused. “You even old enough to remember that time?”</p>
<p>“Hell no, old man.”</p>
<p>“Kids these days. No respect.” He shakes his head and shoves Jason out of the room, escorting him back to his cell.</p>
<p>Really, Jason's doing Dick a favor. This will shore up his secret identity. ‘Jason Haywood’ barely exists as a legal identity - if anyone goes looking, they’ll waste a whole lot of time finding nothing to connect the two. False leads and all that. <em>And</em> it'll piss Dick off when he hears about it, which is definitely the main reason Jason says it. Jason returns to the library with that cheerful thought in his head.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings: As in chapter one, Jason gets into a situation he can't back out of, due to the threat of violence. His PTSD is also intentionally triggered by the Joker. </p>
<p>To clarify, this will not be Dick/Jason. Jason is just being an asshole.</p>
<p>It's unlikely I will be posting a chapter this week, so I decided to post this on AO3. Please consider leaving a comment if you give a kudos - I get super hyped whenever I get a comment and tend to write faster. But kudos by themselves are delicious too :3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>You ever post something and then immediately see an error? -_- Anyway. Was going to post this tomorrow but I have very little impulse control. </p><p>See end notes for warnings.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As Jason expected, gossip about him apparently dating Nightwing makes its way through Arkham fairly quickly. He even forgoes the library to sit on a bench in the courtyard, amused at everything he hears. People here now think he's gay. Not exactly true - he's bi, but he'll let people think what they want.<br/><br/>One brave soul sits down next to him, making sure there's enough space between them, and glances back at her friends for support.<br/><br/>"Sorry, lost a bet. Uh..." she hesitates, running a hand through her grown out hair. Looks like it had once been less than three inches, but now it's almost a mullet. "How did you start dating Nightwing?"<br/><br/>"We're exes now. And we met in our civilian IDs, so that's all the info you're getting. Sorry, I don't tell secret identities." More that he hasn't had time to come up with anything.<br/><br/>"Okay, thanks. And, uh, bye," she mutters, slouching back to the group she had left. Some heckles follow, along with a distant "Fuck off, <em>you</em> go bother the fucking Red Hood."<br/><br/>Jason smirks and lazes in the early summer sun, feeling like a smug cat.<br/><br/>Later, two men approach and give him some shit, but the moment one says a slur Jason breaks the guy's goddamn arm. He is not dealing with homophobes <em>and</em> the Joker. The other guy tries to punch him, but Jason easily trips him and delivers a nasty kick to his side when he falls.<br/><br/>It's actually kind of impressive how stupid their decision to harass him is. What even goes through someone's head to make them think 'yeah, I'll fuck with the violent guy who's killed at least 8 people and is also involved with perhaps the worst person in New Jersey'? No, that's giving them too much credit. They probably didn't even think.<br/><br/>"The next person who says stupid shit like that to me is getting two broken bones," Jason says with relish, enjoying the sight of the two men on the ground. "Come on. I dare you."<br/><br/>The man who didn't say a slur - light brown skin, dark hair - groans from the ground, glaring up at Jason but not saying anything else.<br/><br/>The pale man with the broken forearm looks even paler, thanks to the broken bone, but his face also turns more jagged in hate.<br/><br/>"Hey, what's going on here?" a guard yells, jogging over. He has pale skin and short brown hair.<br/><br/>"These guys tripped. Isn't that right?" Jason asks, stepping away from the two fools.<br/><br/>The man with the broken arm grits his teeth. "Fuck you." Then he visibly stops himself from saying anything else, and Jason grins widely.<br/><br/>"Hm." The guard eyes Jason and then shakes his head at the two on the ground. "You should watch where you're going. Come on, up. You'll need to go to the medical room."<br/><br/>Had Jason broken someone's arm the first week of his stay at Arkham, he would have probably been tased for his troubles. <em>Guess sleeping with the clown has</em> some <em>perks,</em> he thinks, amused, and watches as the guard leaves with the injured man. The uninjured one sneers but backs away, having some sense to not press any further.<br/><br/>Jason smirks and goes back to sunning like a cat.</p><hr/><p>He doesn't see the Joker that day, which doesn't alarm him - over the course of the near month he's been in this shithole, there have been single days where he hasn't seen the Joker. But when it turns into two and then three days without a single sighting of the clown, Jason starts getting antsy.<br/><br/>He uses a metal wire he stole from the radio in the janitor's closet to pick the lock to his cell during the third night. The Joker isn't in his own cell. Jason checks the cafeteria, the courtyard, and even the therapy rooms. Nothing.<br/><br/>As far as Jason knows, there's only a skeleton crew of guards at nighttime. He's been sneaking around in the dark for years, so it's almost pathetically easy to sneak into the dimmed employee area. Part of him wonders if he should have tried his first reconnaissance during the night instead of the day, seeing how easy it is, but what's done is done; and it's not like he got caught, anyway.<br/><br/>He spends at least two hours fruitlessly searching before he decides he has to get back to his cell. First shift will be arriving soon.<br/><br/>Jason slinks back to his cell, locking it and hiding the wire by twisting it around the pipe underneath the sink. Unless someone crouches down and looks underneath the sink, they shouldn't see the wire.<br/><br/>Then he lays down. He doesn't think he'll be able to sleep, but he can at least rest for an hour or so.</p><hr/><p>Later that day, the Joker joins Jason for breakfast in the cafeteria.<br/><br/>"Where were you?" Jason asks abruptly. He tries to spear the bacon on his plate with his plastic fork, but the tines are too flimsy. He gives up and grabs it with his hand instead.<br/><br/>"Aw, J, you missed me!"<br/><br/>Jason rolls his eyes, chewing the bacon and then swallowing. "You planning something?"<br/><br/>The Joker giggles, and then stuffs half of a bland, overeasy egg into his mouth, chewing loudly.<br/><br/>Jason would have figured that the Joker would eat like a king in Arkham, but maybe he just doesn't have taste buds.<br/><br/>"I'm always planning something. But it's a surprise, so you'll find out later," the Joker says, eating the rest of the egg and then gesturing vaguely at Jason with his plastic fork.<br/><br/>"Just so you know, I hate surprises." Jason eats the last piece of bacon on his plate. For Arkham food, the bacon's not half bad.<br/><br/>"You'll love this one, I promise."<br/><br/>Unamused, Jason glances over at the Joker. "We'll see."<br/><br/>The Joker gets up and dumps his empty tray, returning to stand near Jason. He leans down, head tilting against Jason's cheek, and Jason tenses.<br/><br/>"Um...?"<br/><br/>Then the Joker presses his lips against Jason's neck, sucking and leaving a bruise.<br/><br/>Jason is surprised at the sudden wetness on his skin, and the new bruise, but he rolls with it. A hickey from the Joker is extremely tame compared to a crowbar-<br/><br/><em>No, let's not think about that.</em><br/><br/>"You done?" Jason asks, aware that everyone in the cafeteria is either desperately trying to ignore them or watching out of some sort of bile fascination.<br/><br/>"Yep. Now people will know you're mine," the Joker says, like a creep.<br/><br/>Jason sneers and then, seized by a sudden whim, stands up and leaves his own hickey on the Joker's neck, hands holding the Joker's shoulders. The Joker stills, surprised, but then laughs.<br/><br/>"A relationship is a two way street, Mister J," Jason says, and the Joker blinks.<br/><br/>"Mm. I suppose if you're mine, then I'm yours - but you gotta share me with Harley. She was here first, you know."<br/><br/>Jason sits back down to finish the rest of his food. Besides the bacon, it's all tasteless, but he'd rather die than refuse food.<br/><br/>"Yeah, okay," he says, and considers the problem of Harley Quinn. Jason has to end this before he completely ends up like her. Assuming he and the Joker escape together, Jason will probably end up meeting Harley. He has no idea how that will go.<br/><br/>There's some signs that she's not <em>completely</em> under his sway, but he probably should prepare mentally for her to react negatively and or violently to him.<br/><br/>"Anyway, J, I've got more stuff to take care of. I'll see you tomorrow!"<br/><br/>Jason nods and watches as the Joker walks away, whistling an unfamiliar tune.<br/><br/>The rest of the day passes slowly.</p><hr/><p>Jason wakes and groggily sits up. He doesn't think he's been asleep that long - maybe an hour or two. Then he realizes Batman is standing outside of his cell.<br/><br/>"Jesus, how long have you been standing there? Creep," he says, yawning half-way through the sentence. He gets out of bed, stretching.<br/><br/>Batman says nothing for a moment. "Jason-" he begins, voice strangled, "what is <em>that?"</em><br/><br/><em>Huh?</em> Jason narrows his eyes. "I jus' woke up, what are you even talking about?"<br/><br/>"On your neck."<br/><br/>Jason pauses, hand flying to his neck, and remembers the bruise on the side of it.<br/><br/>Ah. Right. The hickey from earlier.<br/><br/>Jason smirks. He had planned on letting the Joker do the reveal, but now seems like the perfect time. "It's a hickey, old man," Jason says, drawing the reveal out.<br/><br/>Batman grimaces. "From who? This is an <em>asylum.</em> You should not be having- sexual relations with anyone here."<br/><br/>Jason rolls his eyes. "'Sexual relations'," he mocks. "Well, if you <em>really</em> want to know..." he pauses for effect, and then continues, "I had a <em>great</em> time with Mister J earlier."<br/><br/>Batman recoils slightly. "What?" His tone is thunderous.<br/><br/>"The Joker? Have you never heard Harley speak? Come on, B." Jason pretends the 'what' is asking for clarification on who 'Mister J' is, even though he absolutely knows what Batman really means.<br/><br/>"You- when did this happen?" Batman seems almost at a loss.<br/><br/>"I dunno, we kinda hit it off after the first few days. He brought me to his cell and gave me a blowjob, two weeks later my dick is literally in his ass-"<br/><br/><em>"Stop."</em><br/><br/>Jason grins viciously at Batman, falling silent and savoring the disgusted look on Batman's face.<br/><br/>"This... this was a mistake. I never should have put you in Arkham."<br/><br/>Jason makes an exaggerated huff. "Oh, really?" he asks sardonically.<br/><br/>"Jason, he killed you. Why would you...?"<br/><br/>"Mostly to piss you off," Jason says honestly. "Wanna hear something funny? He's been taking all my firsts. My first death, my first time having sex..."<br/><br/>Batman looks almost green underneath the harsh lighting. "I don't know what sort of control he has over you, but I'm stopping this. You're coming back today."<br/><br/>Jason grimaces. Fuck. He hadn't meant for Batman to try and 'rescue' him early.<br/><br/>He recalls the fight they had, back when he revealed his identity. The first part had been Batman sandbagging, trying to get through to him. But then Batman got serious, and Jason immediately started losing.<br/><br/>He'd fight Batman differently now. Set up traps, misdirect. It's extremely obvious that he isn't as good in close combat as Batman is. And now he's just in a prison jumpsuit with half a plastic knife hidden in his collar. He won't win any fight he starts.<br/><br/>"Fine," he says, feeling like everything is crumbling around him. His plans are gone because he can't keep his mouth shut. God, he lost his virginity to the Joker - for nothing! "At least I'll get to see- Agent A," he mumbles more to himself.<br/><br/>Batman nods slowly. Jason knows how to read his moods, and Batman is absolutely pissed, probably at Jason and the Joker both. Batman moves to unlock the door of the cell.<br/><br/><em>Shit, this is really happening.</em><br/><br/>Well... Jason can always break <em>in</em> to Arkham. Or maybe surprise the Joker when he inevitably breaks out himself.<br/><br/>"Turn around. Hands behind your back."<br/><br/>Jason sneers, anger building, but does as he's told. "You know, Mister J likes me in handcuffs too," he says as Batman opens the cell and approaches. Thick, Bat-proof handcuffs clasp around his wrists, and Jason turns back to Batman. "I remember you teaching me about consent... but I don't know, it's been a while. He had a gun, then a taser... I was in handcuffs..." Jason wants this to hurt. He wants to remind Bruce how badly he failed Jason.<br/><br/>Batman stills even more. "Jay-"<br/><br/>"I was wondering," Jason interrupts, "what did you think would happen when you put me in the same building as the Joker? That he would just leave me alone? That he wouldn't star as the fake therapist in a fucked up therapy session? That-"<br/><br/>He's breathing heavily, and he thinks he's on the verge of crying. Fuck. <em>Fuck.</em><br/><br/>He calms himself down, closing his eyes. Slow breaths. In and out.<br/><br/>Jason went to the Joker willingly. He knew what would probably happen. That the Joker had a gun means <em>nothing.</em> Jason isn't a victim, and he's going to do his best to never think of it again. To bury it like he was.<br/><br/>He feels detached from his body, watching as Batman approaches him.<br/><br/>Batman seems awkward, unsure of what to say, so he remains silent as he walks Jason toward the exit, one hand gripping Jason's upper arm so he doesn't run away.<br/><br/>Jason doesn't even try. What's the point? He's never been in control of his own life. Not with his real mom and biological father, not with Bruce, not with the Joker.<br/><br/>A nearby speaker crackles to life as they enter the employee section of the building. As soon as they hear the first word, it's obvious that it's the Joker speaking. "Hello, paging a 'Mister Batman'. Hello, Mister Batman to the inpatient cafeteria. Some maniac is holding innocent patients hostage! Batman to the cafeteria."<br/><br/>Batman tenses, and lets go of Jason's arm. "Go hide," he orders.<br/><br/>"You're not even going to uncuff me?" Jason asks, incredulous, as Batman turns to head back the way they came.<br/><br/>Batman pauses and then reaches under his cloak to grab a small black device.<br/><br/>Oh, a-<br/><br/>"-distress signal. If you are in any danger, press the button." Then Batman places it in Jason's hands.<br/><br/>Jason immediately presses it. "Testing," he says, and Batman's expression turns almost pained.<br/><br/>Batman opens his suit's forearm computer and resets the device. "Don't throw it away or use it frivolously." Jason rolls his eyes. "And… stay safe." There's a moment where it seems like Batman wants to say something else, but he eventually turns to run toward the inpatient cafeteria.<br/><br/>As soon as Batman is out of eyesight, Jason drops the device, lightly kicking it next to a wall. The handcuffs absolutely have a tracker too, but Jason isn't pinning any hopes on Batman ever again. He's learned his lesson. Batman will always choose the mission over him, and will always be too late.<br/><br/>The maintenance room might have something that will cut his handcuffs. If he can't get these off, he'll be found as soon as the Joker's cafeteria crisis is over.<br/><br/>With that in mind, Jason begins to run toward his destination. He doesn't have any time to waste.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warning: mentioned homophobia but the offenders are beaten up.</p><p>I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! See you next week!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the slightly longer wait. Updates should be between 1-2 weeks instead of weekly from now on; I can't keep up the 2000+ words/week pace. </p>
<p>See the end for warnings.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The maintenance room is easy to find. Unfortunately, the door is locked, and with Jason's hands cuffed behind his back, he isn't going to be picking it anytime soon. The cuffs are too small for him to escape by dislocating his thumbs; he’d have to break the bones in his palms in order to escape, and that’s definitely not happening. Jason isn’t a meta with enhanced regeneration.</p>
<p>Well, if he can't open the door himself, then...</p>
<p>Jason lifts his leg to hit the door with the side of his shoe a couple of times. "Um, it's the janitor!" Jason yells through the heavy door. There's no window, so whoever's inside will have to open the door to check.</p>
<p>There's a muffled crash and then footsteps.</p>
<p>"Finally. The trash bags haven't been taken out for a week," someone says as they open the door. Jason slips inside as soon as the door pushes open far enough. The mechanic in front of him is old, nearly bald with a white beard on his pale face. "Hey!" he yelps in surprise as Jason sweeps past him, walking farther into the room. "You're- you're not the janitor. You're not supposed to be here!"</p>
<p>The door swings back closed behind them.</p>
<p>Jason ignores the old man at his back and takes in the room. It's cluttered. Several epoxy resin tables are arranged around the room, tools strewn atop. Just like the man had said, there's an overflowing trash bag in a large yellow container next to one of the tables.</p>
<p>"Hey! I'm going to call security!" the old man threatens, and Jason finally turns. </p>
<p>"Good luck with that. The Joker has people hostage in the prison cafeteria, so the guards won't show up for a while." The man's face pales, and he falls silent for a moment. Jason turns back around, trying to find something to cut the short metal between his handcuffs. </p>
<p>"... Are you in trouble?" the elderly man asks after a moment. "Those aren't normal Arkham handcuffs."</p>
<p>Jason considers the man. "Mm. Yeah, I guess so. I need to just- get these handcuffs off. Without horribly injuring myself."</p>
<p>"I'm Fred. I might be able to help, but... it would be dangerous, son."</p>
<p>Jason resists the urge to roll his eyes. "If you aren't going to help, I'll just do it myself. And I'm Jason."</p>
<p>"Now I didn't say that. Let me take a look at those." Fred walks over, and Jason tenses slightly before making himself turn around. If he can't take an old man in a fight, it's time to stop being Red Hood.</p>
<p>Fred makes a disgruntled sound. "I'll be honest, I'm not sure how to get these off without cutting into you."</p>
<p>"Long as you don't hack off a hand I don't care how bloody it gets," Jason says, grimacing. </p>
<p>"Hm. Can you move your wrists a bit?"</p>
<p>Jason understands what he's asking, and lifts his shoulders up, twisting his wrists to the right so that a cut will go through the cuffs and not his flesh. He curls his left hand inward and presses his right hand out.</p>
<p>Fred sighs. "I'm still not sure about this. People lose fingers every year from these kinds of cutting machines. I can't do it safely, and on your own, you'll definitely cut a finger or more off. Seriously, son, I'm not kidding."</p>
<p>Jason snarls wordlessly before slumping for a moment. Fuck. He'll have to go back to the manor to get these off, then. And Bruce will probably put a tracking chip inside him or something.</p>
<p>What's worse: minor surgery to remove a chip, or losing fingers or even a hand?</p>
<p>Damn it. It’s not even a question worth considering.</p>
<p>He sighs. "Well, thanks, I guess." But he's not going to make it easy for Bruce to just pick him up, on a matter of principle. It's time to get the fuck out of Arkham. But before he can do anything, a loud thump startles him and Fred both.</p>
<p>"What was that?" Fred exclaims. Jason narrows his eyes. There's the scratch of metal on metal, and then, a sheet on the floor lifts up, revealing pale skin and green hair.</p>
<p>"J! Making friends, I see," the Joker says, climbing out of the access tunnel, one hand holding some kind of thin mesh object. He's no longer in his Arkham jumpsuit, but the purples of his normal clothing.</p>
<p>Fred looks absolutely shocked at the Joker's arrival, like he needs a moment or several to comprehend what just happened.</p>
<p>Jason blinks, rolling with it. "I thought you were in the cafeteria?"</p>
<p>"Nah, that was just a recording. But I did leave some toys for Batsy to deal with!" The Joker tosses something at Fred, who instinctively catches it. It's a small red ball. "Don't drop it! It'll explode if you do."</p>
<p>Jason sneers and edges away from Fred, who is now staring at the red ball with wide eyes. "Was that really necessary?" He feels bad for the old man, but at this point in time the best thing Jason can do for him is leave and hope Batman shows up to help.</p>
<p>"Well, we're getting out of here, but I need to distract ol' Bats for a bit. Oh, turn around, I've got a Faraday cage here." He waves the mesh object, opening it into halves. A Faraday cage blocks electrical signals - like the radio frequency ID that's certain to be in Jason's handcuffs.</p>
<p>Well. Alright. Jason shrugs and waits for the Joker to put the Faraday cage around his wrists and handcuffs. The Joker's hands brush his skin, but he ignores it. There's a click, and the cage pulls itself tighter. It won't block blood flow to his hands, but it also won't be bouncing around with Jason's movement. He wonders how silly it looks and decides that's not really important right now.</p>
<p>"So what's the plan?" For a moment he's worried this has been part of a long game on the Joker's part, and as soon as they leave Arkham, the Joker will kill him - again.</p>
<p>He takes a steadying breath and pushes that thought away. If he has to, he'll rip out the Joker's throat with his teeth. He doesn't really want to do that, though. It feels a little too intimate, a little too feral. Only if he's dying or about to be killed will he consider that a valid option. </p>
<p>Fred is sweating. "You're just going with him?" he asks weakly.</p>
<p>The Joker grins widely and throws an arm around Jason's shoulder, dragging him close. "We're besties. You're gonna hear about a new dynamic duo soon: Joker and Jester!"</p>
<p>Jason turns to the Joker, eyebrows drawn up. "That's the first <em>I've</em> heard of this. I'm gonna be <em>Jester?"</em> Sounds kind of stupid. But then again, it's not like any villain or vigilante names are any better.</p>
<p>The Joker pouts. "What, you don't like it?" </p>
<p>"No, it's fine. Gonna need these handcuffs off before we can be a duo, though," Jason says.</p>
<p>"I thought you were in trouble, but- are those handcuffs from Batman?" Fred asks. "I..."</p>
<p>"Just keep holding that, Fred. Thanks for trying to help me out of the handcuffs." Jason moves away from the Joker's arm. "Access tunnels, right?"</p>
<p>"That's right."</p>
<p>"How am I supposed to get down? I'm a bit tied up at the moment," Jason says.</p>
<p>"With this rope! Ta-da!" The Joker pulls out durable looking rope and approaches Jason.</p>
<p>At first, he just ties the rope around Jason’s waist, but Jason shakes his head. “No, the rope also needs to go around my thighs.”</p>
<p>“Oh, Bats taught you about bondage, hm?”</p>
<p>Jason stares at the Joker in distaste. Really? He lowers his voice so Fred won’t hear. “This is just basic climbing safety. And he’s my <em>dad,</em> don’t be gross.”</p>
<p>The Joker winks and then ties the rope around Jason, forming a facsimile of underwear. He’s quick about it, but his hand is still right next to Jason's crotch, pressing into his thigh. Jason’s not a blushing virgin anymore - he’s just blushing. Why does he keep getting into situations where the Joker is right next to his dick? </p>
<p>There should really be another rope and a carabiner to connect the two ropes, but the Joker’s done an adequate job. It’ll probably hold for a little bit. “How far down is the ladder?” Jason asks.</p>
<p>“About twenty feet.”</p>
<p>Okay. As long as he doesn’t fall within the first ten feet, he’ll probably be okay. He’s done riskier things.</p>
<p>"Well, it's been grand, Fred. Take care of yourself!" the Joker says, like he didn't throw a delayed grenade at the man. "Okay, J, let's roll."</p>
<p>Jason doesn't do anything like turn around and mouth "sorry" to Fred. He doesn't know how the Joker would take it. But he still feels bad, and it’s probable that him being in the maintenance room put Fred in the Joker’s crosshairs.</p>
<p>The Joker holds the rope tight, frowning for a moment and tugging to check if it’s safe. Then he shrugs and motions toward the square hole.</p>
<p>"Geronimo," Jason drawls, and carefully puts his feet down on the first rung. Then the next. It's hard to keep his balance, but he manages to make it work for 3/4ths of the descent. Then he slips and bangs into the ladder, rope jerking him to a halt. "Ow," he says, though the pain is barely a two. </p>
<p>The rope held, at least.</p>
<p>He continues, and his shoes finally touch the cement of the floor. "I'm down!" he yells up at the Joker. The rope drops to the ground after a moment, and Jason waits, fighting the urge to tap his feet.</p>
<p>The light from the maintenance room abruptly disappears, and Jason's breathing picks up in the darkness. </p>
<p>
  <em> Get over yourself, Todd. Not a coffin. Not a coffin. </em>
</p>
<p>A small light flickers on above him. Looks like a flashlight. There's the sound of feet against the metal rungs as the Joker descends. Finally a dim shadow comes into view.</p>
<p>"Boo!" the Joker says, turning the flashlight so it's shining onto his face.</p>
<p>Jason gives the Joker an unimpressed look, and the Joker pouts. </p>
<p>"So, which way?" Jason asks, tensing up a little. Anything could go wrong here still. This could be a murder plan.</p>
<p>He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, crushing the frustration building in him. That emotion won't help right now.</p>
<p>The Joker rolls up the rope’s slack, lightly holding it in his hand. "Follow me, J!" He begins to walk at a fast pace. The flashlight he's carrying illuminates the floor ahead.</p>
<p>Jason is a little embarrassed at being led around like an animal. He gets that he can’t carry the rope with his wrists bound in handcuffs and the Joker's Faraday cage, but the feeling of the situation is absolutely awful. </p>
<p>"Heard you broke some guy's arm!" the Joker says after a moment.</p>
<p>"Yeah, what of it?" Jason asks. The oppressive weight of Arkham’s maintenance tunnels - or whatever they are - make Jason feel small. The conversation is, at least, a distraction.</p>
<p>"Well, I don't know if you were planning on killing the guy later, but when I heard what he said I just couldn't help myself. I thought, 'this is a guy who is really, deeply unhappy'. So I gave him some Smilex to turn that frown upside down!"</p>
<p>Jason grimaces, unsure of how to take that. On one hand, he really doesn't care if a bigot is dead. On the other, he hates it when the Joker kills.</p>
<p>"If I wanted him dead, I would've killed him myself," Jason finally says, deciding to just put it out of his mind for now. </p>
<p>"Oh, well. Hm, I heard some gossip too. You and Nightwing dated?" the Joker laughs softly, and continues in a singsong, "Two little birdies sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-"</p>
<p>"No," Jason interrupts, face twisting in distaste. "That was a lie."</p>
<p>"Ah, just to mess with people. I get that."</p>
<p>They continue walking in silence.</p>
<p>Eventually, Jason clears his throat. "So where are we going?"</p>
<p>"Wow, you are impatient. We'll be using a car, don't worry."</p>
<p>"Is Batman going to be distracted long enough?"</p>
<p>"He'd have to ignore all my deadly gifts and chase after us immediately, which we both know he won't do. Remember, he'll never choose you first."</p>
<p>Jason nearly snarls at that, but takes a deep breath. He can't let the Joker get to him. </p>
<p>He could run from the Joker while his back was turned, if Jason managed to get close enough to knock the rope out of the Joker's hand; but that seems like a bad idea. Jason would have to hide, and without use of his arms he wouldn't be able to get out of the tunnels. With the Faraday cage on, Batman would have a lower chance of finding him - not that Jason wants Batman to find him, of course. No. It's better to wait.</p>
<p>
  <em> Don't fuck it up now. </em>
</p>
<p>Ten silent minutes later, they come to a different ladder. The Joker ties his end of rope to his wrist and begins the climb. Once he reaches the top, he shoves the hatch open and climbs out. Then he leans over and begins to rap his knuckles against the ladder.</p>
<p>He taps twice quickly, then a third time with a pause. Then he taps once quickly, with the second almost immediately following, but the third and fourth taps have longer intervals.</p>
<p>U-P. U-P.</p>
<p>He only repeats the Morse code message twice before he hears Jason climb onto the ladder below, metal reverberating with the footsteps.</p>
<p>The Joker backs up, keeping low to the ground. When the line loses tension, he backs up farther. It's slow going, and not exactly safe for either of them, but eventually Jason manages to climb out.</p>
<p>The parking lot they climb into is lit up by tall, harsh lights. Cars sit still in their parking spaces.</p>
<p>The Joker approaches and finally unties Jason, holding the rope loosely around his elbow. Then his other hand moves into a suit pocket, pressing a button that causes a nearby car’s lights to turn on. The Joker opens the driver-side door and Jason grimaces. He hates that he’s now pretty much dependent on the Joker - the fucking <em> Joker </em> - for these simple things.</p>
<p>Fuck Bruce. If that asshole hadn’t put him in these handcuffs, Jason might’ve already killed this clown, or at least, wouldn’t have slipped on those stupid ladder rungs.</p>
<p>“I’ll lay down in the back,” he says. It’s not like he can sit comfortably facing forward with his hands cuffed behind him.</p>
<p>"Okay, J!"</p>
<p>The Joker opens the passenger door for Jason, mock-bowing like he's one of those employees who open doors for people. Jason ignores this and climbs into the small car. The Joker shuts the passenger door and climbs into the driver seat, inserting the key and turning on the car. Then he shuts his own door.</p>
<p>Jason distracts himself by imagining the Joker being run over as he lays down. The gory thought is soothing.</p>
<p>They pull out of the parking lot, and the guard barely even spares a second glance at who's driving the car. Jason is unimpressed, but then, Arkham Asylum has been one disappointment after the next.</p>
<p>The car drives onto the bridge connecting Arkham to Gotham, speeding away into the night.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings: thoughts and mentions of graphic violence &amp; gore.</p>
<p>You know, I think this is the first chapter of The Joker's Jester where it's just one entire scene. </p>
<p>On the kinkmeme, I made a comment where I said this was mostly UTRH-based. Which is still true... except that Jason still crawled out of his grave. How can I pass up that trauma? Also it makes me laugh to imagine Ra's going to dig Jason up and Jason digging himself up first, right in front of him. </p>
<p>Fred the mechanic OC now exits stage left, pursued by the Batman. He will not be returning.</p>
<p>The longer waits between updates is now due to the fact that I am no longer hyperfocusing on this fic. I have ADHD, so I have to work on several different things at once in order to get anything done. In fact, I have a few different Jason-centric fics I'm working on...</p>
<p>As always, kudos and comments are very much appreciated. I sometimes worry whether my work is any good or not. Oof, I said I wasn't going to stress out about this fic and here I am, <i>stressing out about it.</i> Send help, I'm constantly besieged by my own brain.</p>
<p>Anyway, stay safe out there.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yeah, Jason's definitely in over his head now.</p>
<p>See end notes for warnings.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>They switch cars at least five different times, in a show of paranoia that has Jason slightly impressed despite himself. It does make sense, though. You </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be that paranoid to avoid the Bat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually, they park behind a shitty looking motel. The neon sign outside probably is supposed to say "No Vacancies", but the only part of it that's lit up is the "No". </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Home sweet home! For the next day, at least," the Joker says as he exits the car. He doesn't turn it off, and as Jason wiggles into a sitting position, two people exit the motel. One has on pale makeup and a green wig, and the other could almost look like Jason - if you were nearsighted and standing 40 feet away. The hair looked about right, though.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hey, boss," the Joker-lookalike says, muffled a bit through the car.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hello, my beautiful stunt double! Let me get J outta this hunk of junk, and you two can get the show on the road. Remember, just drive around for a while. And if the Bat shows up..."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, we won't say anything." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Good. Remember... While Batsy won't kill, who knows what </span>
  <em>
    <span>I'll</span>
  </em>
  <span> do if you squeal." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The fake Joker looks queasy but nods, while the fake Jason just seems bored.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Joker opens the car door, and Jason hops out. He glares at the two goons, daring them to say anything. They don't; they just enter the car and drive off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Come on, J," the Joker says, beckoning him to follow, and Jason's stomach twists in anxiety. In Arkham, at least, the Joker pretended to adhere to its rules. But in Gotham itself? Anything could happen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>He already killed you once. What's the worst that can happen? He kills you again?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sardonic thought does not help. He does his best to push it down and follows the Joker through the short hallways of the motel. The wallpaper is faded and yellowing, and there's water damage and stains on the wood flooring. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Classy place," Jason comments steadily, even though his heart rate is up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Only the best for you, pumpkin," the Joker teases, and then opens an unmarked door. The room inside is small, with only a single two-person bed and an old armchair inside. A smaller bathroom is attached.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"So when are we getting the cuffs off?" Jason asks, noting the lack of a window. There isn't even a TV. God, this place is a dump.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Now, about that..."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason turns, mouth curling into a snarl. Anger and fear rise in him. Fuck. Can he take the Faraday cage off by himself?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That's going to involve a lot of boring work, J. I need a little incentive."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His emotions turn to confusion. "What kind of incentive?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well, you never did return that blowjob, J." The Joker leers at Jason, and Jason suddenly feels empty of anything resembling feelings.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason's already had his dick up the Joker's ass. He can handle this. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, is that all?" Jason asks, and considers biting for a single second before discarding the idea. Previous experience tells him that to attack the Joker in a room he's prepared is the height of folly. Jason doesn't want to know what would happen if failed in his attack.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Remember, J, no biting." He reaches into his suit and pulls out a switchblade. Jason tenses, going still. "If you misbehave..."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm not gonna bite," Jason says, and eyes the open door behind them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Joker follows his gaze. "Let me get that. We don't want to be interrupted, of course," he says, closing the door and locking it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then he unbuttons his suit jacket, placing it carefully on the bed. Jason watches as the Joker strips. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Joker takes off his shoes but not his socks, flicking the switchblade back in to avoid nicking himself. Then his undershirt and pants come off. Both are folded neatly on the bed. He takes off his white briefs, letting them fall to the carpet instead of placing them on the bed. He strokes his hardening dick with his left hand, unfolding the switchblade with his right.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He steps forward, and Jason carefully gets on his knees. The weight of the handcuffs and Faraday cage are annoying in this position, but he tries to ignore it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Haven't done this before, so don't expect anything special," Jason says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"J," the Joker says, sounding serious, "doing this with you </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> special."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something ugly rears up in Jason at that, and he takes a shuddering breath. "Shut the fuck up," he demands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"J, I wouldn't lie to you." The Joker gets close enough that his dick is nearly touching Jason's face, but the Joker instead brings his hand to Jason's cheek, stroking it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite himself, Jason leans into it. The touch feels good in a way that makes him aware of a psychic ache he's been ignoring. He knows humans are social animals, knows about touch starvation. This is nothing. He doesn't like the Joker. This is just his body's reaction to months of being isolated. Even before Arkham, he was alone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason has to close his eyes to try and calm down. He feels like a pier being battered by a storm's waves, emotions rolling over him in strange tides he can't comprehend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He opens his eyes after a moment and then shrugs away from Joker's palm, forcing himself to put his mouth on the Joker's dick. He hasn't done this before, but he takes the length as far as he can go before he starts to gag, like he has something to prove.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, someone's enthusiastic," the Joker says, hand returning to curl lightly in Jason's hair. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He ignores the words and focuses on bobbing his head back and forth. Remembering </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> first blowjob, he hums a pitch as he does so, a little embarrassed at the idea of humming a song. It seems too silly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Mm. Just like that, J."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason continues to suck and bob and hum, and the Joker lets him instead of roughly using Jason. He isn't sure how long it takes. It feels like it stretches on forever, time coagulating, until finally the Joker's dick seems to jump in his mouth, spurting come over his tongue. It's warm and salty, just like the first time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He swallows it all, relieved that the deed is done. There might be more in the future, but for now it's over. He shifts slightly and realizes, to his consternation, that he's become a little aroused from what he just did.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Joker steps back, tugging his softening dick out of Jason's mouth and leaning down to put his underwear back on. He flicks the switchblade closed. "Nice job, J. You're practically a natural!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason raises an eyebrow. "Uh, thanks, I guess."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Joker laughs and then kneels down next to Jason. "You want a handjob or blowjob?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Neither," Jason says, only just managing to control his grimace. Sure, orgasms feel nice, but the less sex he can have with the Joker, the better. He might be half-hard right now, but he doesn't really feel a pressing need to get off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You sure?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm tired," Jason claims, which is actually true. "Gonna nap. Do whatever you have to do for my handcuffs." Suddenly aware that the Joker may not like being ordered around, he clarifies, "If I'm gonna be Jester and all."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Course you're gonna be Jester, J! I'll give a guy a call and get something to take those cuffs off. Then we can talk costume designs."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh, great.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Images of court jesters come to mind: the red outfits, the stupid hats, the curled shoes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Nothing too overblown," Jason says as the Joker puts on his suit pants and undershirt. "No bells."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hmm... okay. But the jester hat is non-negotiable." The Joker finishes dressing and laughs. It grates against Jason's ears.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason sits on the edge of the bed, nudging his shoes off first with his other shoe and then with his sock-clad foot. He gets up from the bed and walks around to the side before practically flopping down on his stomach. The position isn't great for his neck, so he moves to his side. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His arms are starting to hurt, and the sleep position isn't helping, but he takes a breath and closes his eyes anyway. To his relief, he’s pretty much entirely lost his half-formed erection now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Meanwhile, Jason hears the Joker open a prepaid flip phone. "This is Jack. Need that Anti-I-O stuff." What the hell is 'Anti-I-O'? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason tries to ignore the Joker. He isn't going to be able to fall asleep - not that he wants to with the Joker so close - but he can at least fall into a state of rest. It's better than nothing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hey, this is your boss. Need you to pick up an item." The Joker says an address after a pause. Jason recognizes it as being in the Narrows. There's a clack as the phone closes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Looks like they'll be here in a couple of hours," the Joker says. Jason opens his eyes again, looking up from the bed to watch as the Joker speaks. He's annoyed and on alert, but doesn't show it, breaths steady. "Might as well get a little shut-eye. Can't do crimes on no sleep, after all," he says to himself, and removes everything he was wearing but his underwear and socks. He hangs the suit jacket over the back of the one armchair, folding up his pants and undershirt to place on the seat. "Move back a little, J. I'll be the little spoon this time." He laughs to himself and hops onto the bed, wiggling under the covers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason curls his knees up, letting the Joker put the covers over the two of them. It feels... really strange. The last time he slept in a real bed with someone was more than a decade ago. He had been six or seven, and slept next to his mom after a nightmare. Of course, a few hours later his waste-of-space biological father woke up and lost his mind upon realizing Jason was in the bed with them, and screamed at him and his mom until they both cried. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason doesn't like thinking about his awful father or his awful childhood and instead tries to focus his thoughts on other things.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Joker then moves backward until his back is against Jason's chest, and the movement brings his thoughts back to the Joker. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It hits him that he's in bed with the Joker. Literally. He's laying next to the man who murdered him and hundreds of others. The man who nearly beat him to death with a crowbar-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He needs to stop thinking about this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He feels sick and distant, taking a shuddering breath that has the Joker moving. Jason opens his eyes and sees that the Joker has tilted his head back to the side. "Don't worry, J," he says, moving out from the covers to grab at Jason. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason flinches back, but he's trapped under the covers. The blankets are partially weighed down by the Joker's weight on one side, and are tucked under the mattress on the other. The Joker moves a little and with surprising strength, moves Jason into his lap so Jason is facing to the side. Jason tenses, shocked, and then tries to kick and wiggle away from the Joker. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But the Joker wraps his arms around Jason's chest, underneath Jason's handcuffed arms, and moves a leg over one of Jason's own, trapping it. Jason doesn't have any leverage like this, and with him sideways in the Joker's lap, a headbutt isn't going to have any force behind it. "What the fuck?" Jason asks quietly, voice seething.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You looked upset, J. Decided you could use a hug. Noticed back in Arkham you liked the cuddling, after all."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I didn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>like</span>
  </em>
  <span> the cuddling, asshole-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, so you </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved</span>
  </em>
  <span> it?" The Joker squeezes tighter for a moment before continuing. "You're too shy, J. I won't judge."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason snarls, squirming again, heart pounding. He tries to get out of the Joker's hold, but it's fruitless. The Joker's not a meta - or at least, isn't one with super strength - but he's stronger than he looks. And with Jason's hands bound behind his back, his leg trapped underneath the Joker's own, and the position he's being held in, he can't escape.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"J, relax, it's just a hug." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason does eventually give up, feeling dullness and despair creep up into him. He lets the Joker hold him, and closes his eyes. He can pretend this is someone else. Not wanting to taint anyone's memory by associating them with the Joker, he just imagines a faceless stranger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason lets his breaths even out. The J- The man holding him is right, is the thing. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>does</span>
  </em>
  <span> like this, like cuddling. It's soothing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It's only until his head jerks from nearly nodding off does the Joker laugh and let him go. "Okay, </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span> let's nap," the Joker says, and Jason falls sideways onto the bed, feeling wrung out and tired. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Joker rearranges them under the covers again, in the position before the hug, and Jason ends up falling asleep after long minutes of staring blankly at the Joker's back, eyes slowly closing, mind still somewhat away from reality.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It feels like it's barely been a minute before Jason is woken up by the shrill beep of a cellphone. The Joker groans and stumbles out of bed, grabbing the phone. He flips it open. "Wake up, J, it's time to get you out of those handcuffs!" the Joker says, yawning immediately after. "We're going to the location, since the moment we take off that Faraday cage we'll have to use the Anti-I-O and book it."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason sits up, blearily watching the Joker dress. "What's Anti-I-O anyway?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Stands for 'Anti-inorganic'. Some kind of acid that won't touch living things but will eat through metals like nothing else."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Huh." That makes sense, he supposes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Nothing, just kind of thought we'd have to hack into the handcuffs to get them off." Jason hops off the bed and tries to slip his shoes on. He has to shove his foot under the bed to maneuver the heel in, and then repeats the process for his other foot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That'd take </span>
  <em>
    <span>forever.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I'm no good at hacking, and finding some IT guy would be too much of a hassle." The Joker grabs his suit jacket and puts it on. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Joker unlocks the door, and Jason follows him outside to the motel parking lot. It's still dark out. Might be around 3am. The Joker pulls out a keyfob and remotely opens a car, lights turning on. It's a small car, dark blue with a dent in the side  It won't stand out in Gotham.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason slips into the back again, but doesn't lay down - nor does he buckle up. He can't, since his arms are bound, and the Joker doesn't put on a seat buckle either.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The drive takes fifteen minutes. The Joker puts on a pop station, volume loud enough to hear but low enough it won't be heard from outside the car.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually they reach an abandoned gas station, windows boarded up and weeds growing through the concrete. Another car is in the small parking area.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Joker opens all the doors and then grabs something from the console. When he exits the car, he holds it out for Jason to inspect.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It's hard to see in the dim lighting of night, but it looks like a thin collar of some sort.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"J, I'd love to do the Joker and Jester thing with you, but based on your previous history, I'm gonna need some reassurance you're not gonna hightail it or try and kill me."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"But I've got all these </span>
  <em>
    <span>murderous urges,"</span>
  </em>
  <span> Jason snarks in an attempt to stall for time. He really doesn’t like the look of what’s in the Joker’s hands. Is that a collar? A mind control collar? A shock collar? Just a normal collar, but it says "Property of Mister J" on it? Either one seems like it’d fit the freak.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That's what Shocky here is for," the Joker says, waving it a little. Okay. A shock collar. At least it’s not a mind control collar.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"And if I say no?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well, if you're not my sidekick, you're just someone to play with... and I don't tend to treat my toys that nicely. Remember our last playdate over in Ethiopia?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason feels himself pale, but steadies himself. Okay. It's not a choice. Like before, he just has to wait for an opportunity. "I have a condition," Jason says, voice steadier than he feels.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh?" The Joker raises an eyebrow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Don't kill any kids. Adults, whatever. But no one under 18."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"So... you'd be fine if I killed a kid's parents in front of them but let them go?" The Joker smirks, laughing softly at the gruesome idea.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason grits his teeth. "I would </span>
  <em>
    <span>prefer</span>
  </em>
  <span> if you didn't."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You're no fun sometimes, J. I'm just riling you up. Yeah, I can go with that. No kids. Got it. So you'll be my Jester? The clown sidekick of a wacky dynamic duo?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason swallows, lifting his chin slightly. "Yeah, I'll be Jester. Go ahead. Put the collar on."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Joker places the collar around Jason's neck. There's a click when the ends connect. It's not tight enough to constrict his breathing, but it feels impossible to ignore. The Joker smiles widely, cruelly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"And now to get those handcuffs off!" The Joker pulls out a different key and directly unlocks the car that was in the parking area before them. He partially climbs into the car to pull something out of the passenger seat, placing it on the driver seat before starting the car. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He opens the passenger side door on the driver's side, too, and grabs the box, placing it on the asphalt a bit to the side of Jason. "Turn around, I'll get the Faraday cage off. Once the handcuffs are off, gonna need you to jump into that car."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, I got that." Jason does turn around, though, and the Joker unclasps the Faraday cage. Practically the moment it's completely removed, though, is when the handcuffs suddenly unlock and fall to the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason turns, startled, and stares at the handcuffs in shock. The only reason the handcuffs would open remotely is if Batman unlocked them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Does…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Does Bruce actually care?</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings: sexual coercion, regular coercion, non-consensual hugging, &amp; mentions of emotional abuse and an abusive father</p>
<p>I'm writing Bruce here as a dad who is trying his best, but his best is just really bad. Don't worry, Jason, he does love you, though. </p>
<p>The middle part was hard, emotionally, for me to write. That's because I experience the emotions of whatever POV character I'm writing as, so... Anyway, I've gotten feedback before that stuff I've written is a lot to read, emotionally, so I think I should clarify: this story will not have a sad ending. The Joker and Jason won't be forever. I promise.</p>
<p>I spent a lot of time coming up with that anti-inorganic acid when I never actually planned for it to be used, haha. The end of the chapter was always going to be the handcuffs opening by themselves. Anyway, the acid kind of bugs me as a concept but this is a fanfic based on comic book characters. If we all can accept knock out gas with no repercussions and aliens with superpowers fueled by G-class stars then we can accept magic/really advanced science acid that eats all metals, right? Right?</p>
<p>If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for waiting so patiently. Or impatiently. Honestly, I kind of just lost track of time...</p>
<p>There's a couple surprise guests this chapter!</p>
<p>As always, see end notes for warnings.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Batman tries to communicate through the distress signal device after he disarmed the traps left by the Joker, but no one answers. Fearing the worst, he rushes through Arkham to its current location.</p>
<p>Jason is nowhere to be found. It seems probable that he had simply dropped the distress signal as soon as Batman had left, and the thought makes something ache in his heart. The signal from the handcuffs is gone too. A Faraday cage or something more esoteric? Or had the handcuffs been completely destroyed? He hopes not. That would have severely injured Jason. </p>
<p>However, the last transmitted location of the handcuffs is… in the maintenance room. Maybe Jason had removed them on his own, or cut into them enough that the transmitter wouldn’t function. Batman hurries through the empty corridors until he reaches the maintenance room.</p>
<p>The door is locked, so Batman takes a moment to pick it. Pulling the door toward him, he enters the messy room. Inside is an elderly white man who looks extremely distressed. He grips onto a small red sphere, sweat on his face. “Batman? Thank God. The Joker said this would explode if I let go of it. Please, help me.”</p>
<p>“Don’t move. Stay silent,” Batman orders. The man nods slightly, tensing.</p>
<p>First, he scans the object, and then scans it again to be sure. </p>
<p>“It’s not a bomb,” Batman says. “He lied.”</p>
<p>“Are you sure?” the man asks, and Batman nods, grabbing the sphere. The man tenses, obviously fearing the orb will explode, but relaxes as the seconds pass with no explosion.</p>
<p>"Did you see another person with the Joker?" Batman demands.</p>
<p>The man grimaces. "Yeah, he came in first, through the door. Said his name was Jason. Wanted help getting his handcuffs off."</p>
<p>"Did you remove them?"</p>
<p>"No... I would've chopped off fingers or worse. Got him to give up on that idea."</p>
<p>Batman exhales, relieved. "When did the Joker appear?"</p>
<p>"He entered through the maintenance tunnel," The mechanic says, pointing to a closed metal square. "Then... he put something on Jason's handcuffs. I was... distracted by the fake bomb he threw at me. But the Joker definitely talked about making Jason his, uh, sidekick? Mentioned something about a 'Jester', if that helps." Batman feels sick, but the cowl hides his emotions.</p>
<p>"It does. I need to pursue the Joker." Instead of entering the maintenance tunnels, however, he opens up a comm channel. "Nightwing. There's a breakout attempt at Arkham. The Joker is involved."</p>
<p>
  <em> "Anyone else? I can be there in thirty." </em>
</p>
<p>"The Joker has kidnapped Jason Haywood," Batman says.</p>
<p>Nightwing curses. <em> "Are you fucking kidding me?" </em> His voice is barely controlled rage.</p>
<p>"Now is not the time. We can discuss that after the breakout has been contained." Batman says, regret curdling in his gut. Sometimes it feels like every action is another misstep, but now <em> really </em> isn't the time. If Jason dies again- </p>
<p>Batman pushes the thought out of his mind. He won't survive losing Jason again, so there's no point in thinking about it.</p>
<p>
  <em> "Fine. What's the plan?" </em>
</p>
<p>Batman discards the idea of entering the tunnels for now. The tunnels stretch all over Arkham. Assuming the Joker wanted to leave the asylum, it would be more prudent to check in with Oracle and ask her to look at security camera footage. </p>
<p>He speaks into the team line. This is information everyone should know. "Oracle, the situation at Arkham has worsened. The Joker has made an escape attempt with Red Hood in tow. Unsure if it's kidnapping or coercion, but a civilian said something about the Joker turning Jason into his sidekick."</p>
<p>Batman leaves the maintenance room and practically runs to the parking lot. Once there, he switches on his cowl's thermal sensors and moves in a grid pattern, starting from one end of the lot, so he doesn't miss any car. The Joker - or Jason, or both - could be hiding in one.</p>
<p>Oracle says, <em> "I got it. Let me just- Okay, looking at the feeds now. No movement in present. Going backwards..." </em> There's a pause as she watches the footage. <em> "I've got something. Unusual car activity, 10 minutes ago. Guard camera will have a clearer view. Yeah, that's the Joker. Might be someone in the back - from this angle I can't tell." </em></p>
<p>"What car? Are the plates visible at any point?"</p>
<p>Oracle describes the car, and looks through more cameras in silence. <em> "Got it!" </em> She rattles off the license plate info.</p>
<p>"Heading to the Batmobile now."</p>
<p><em> "Hey, I'm picking up some police chatter about the Joker and a civilian near the big library," </em> the current Robin says, speaking into the team line from the Batcave. <em> "But also there's another sighting at the mall across town?" </em></p>
<p>"Decoys," Batman instantly grasps. Unless teleportation was involved, the Joker and Jason couldn't have gotten so far from Arkham in that amount of time. "Have the police captured any?"</p>
<p>
  <em> "No, they're doing the usual 'It's the Joker, I'm waiting for Batman' thing." </em>
</p>
<p>Nightwing speaks up. <em> "I'm changing course to the mall. It'll take me the same amount of time." </em> His voice sounds anguished. He obviously wants to help look for Jason, but if the Joker wants to turn Jason into his sidekick, then he’s not going to kill him again; and there are going to be other people who need help, if the Joker left his henchmen with any orders for mayhem.</p>
<p>"Acknowledged. Oracle, have there been any sightings of the car the actual Joker is driving?"</p>
<p>
  <em> "Let me look..." </em>
</p>
<p>Batman enters the Batmobile, waiting for Oracle's update, and says, "Robin, do not leave to engage the Joker or a lookalike for any reason."</p>
<p><em> "I </em> know <em> that," </em> Robin says with irritation. <em> "You've said it before." </em>It had practically been Batman's first orders to the third Robin: 'Never engage with the Joker'. </p>
<p>From the dashboard, Batman can see that Nightwing has opened a private line to Robin. Relief and regret fill him. Dick is so much better with words, with <em> people, </em> than he is; but it still tears at him that he seems to be failing his boys at every single turn. </p>
<p>The thought crosses his mind that Jason is going to be angry when he finds out about the newest Robin, nevermind that Batman doesn't let him patrol alone. Or even in Gotham, half the time - if Robin is patrolling, it's usually in the safer city of San Francisco with the Teen Titans. And given the friendship between Superboy and Robin, Batman feels assured that Tim is more protected than Jason had been. He doesn't blame Clark for what happened. Clark had been in space. The blame is on <em> himself </em> for letting Jason drift so far away, for letting him die. </p>
<p>But now isn't the time to dwell on such things. Not if he wants to rescue Jason.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the Joker is slippery, and they lose the trail after the fourth car switch. Nightwing continues to assist with capturing the Joker and Jason lookalikes, but even with Batman tearing through the area where the trail disappeared, there’s no hint of the real duo. An hour passes, and then another, Oracle and Robin keeping eyes on cameras in the area and around until they both exclaim.</p>
<p><em> “His signal is back online!” </em>Robin says, almost tripping over the words. No need to elaborate on who 'he' is: Batman immediately looks at the dashboard in the Batmobile, and as soon as he registers the signal’s location, Batman is already bolting, the Batmobile pressed to its limits. It’ll still take at least six minutes to get there. 360 seconds. Each one is a second too long.</p>
<p><em> “Looking for any cameras nearby- I’ve got one- no, damn it- okay, he’s alive-” </em>Oracle's voice sounds strained.</p>
<p>Batman nearly swerves onto the sidewalk, only just managing to correct his surprised, distressed jerk in time. “What happened.”</p>
<p>
  <em> “Jason seized and then collapsed. He got up after a moment, the Joker pushed him into a car-” </em>
</p>
<p>“Details!” he demands.</p>
<p><em> “It’s a truck. Can’t tell the color.” </em> Oracles pauses for a few seconds and then says the model and brand; she’s not a car enthusiast, so she likely had to pull up the reference page she compiled of cars and trucks. <em> “Tracking them- damn it, there aren’t any cameras I can access where they just went.” </em></p>
<p>“Which way did they go?”</p>
<p><em> “They were headed into the Narrows.” </em>A poorer district, with fewer cameras than the rich ones. The Joker is very, very good at hiding in Gotham. Jason is too. If they're working together...</p>
<p>No, Batman will find them eventually. The Joker always turns up. But what horrors will pass while they search? What more will Jason have to endure? Bruce feels sick, wretched, but makes himself focus on the search.</p>
<p>It's going to be a long night. </p><hr/>
<p>As the first hint of the sun peaks over the horizon, all of the Joker and Jason lookalikes captured but the real duo evading being tracked, they head back to the Batcave to rest. </p>
<p>It's not that they never work in daylight, but they've been working for a full shift now, and they need to stop and take a break. However much it galls him, Bruce knows that a mind can only stay sharply focused for so long before needing rest.</p>
<p>It's an uncomfortable drive back to the cave; luckily, it's still summer vacation, so Tim won't be expected to go to school later. But Dick's tense anger simmers under the surface, and he is uncharacteristically silent, arms folded.</p>
<p>Apparently he just didn't want to get into a shouting match in the car, because as soon as everyone exits, he pivots and opens up with, "Why the fuck did you leave him in there? Why did <em> I </em> leave him there? I can't believe you guilted me into letting him stay!"</p>
<p>Tim carefully maneuvers to the computer, tensing, and puts on headphones as the screen powers on. He does his best to ignore the fighting as he begins to type his report of the night.</p>
<p>"At the time, I believed it was for his own good - that therapy would help with his Lazarus pit triggers," Bruce says, attempting to defend himself.</p>
<p>"Sure, yeah, I agree," Dick says, voice a little too bright, "but he could have had therapy <em> here, </em> at the manor."</p>
<p>"He wouldn't have stayed."</p>
<p>"Wasn't the plan to put something like a house arrest bracelet on him? Or maybe you could have just- <em> not </em>have put him in Arkham in the first place!"</p>
<p>Tim erases a line and starts it over, fingers deftly typing. He's a little hunched over.</p>
<p>"He killed eight people!"</p>
<p>"Then he should have fucking gone to prison instead of that hellhole!" Dick screams.</p>
<p>"There are- <em> rules </em> and <em> consequences </em> for actions-"</p>
<p><em> "I </em> didn't go to jail for attempted murder when I killed the Joker! So shut the fuck up, Bruce! You fucked up!"</p>
<p>"Shut- <em> UP!" </em> Tim suddenly shouts, standing up in a whirl, headphones clattering to the ground. "I am <em> trying </em> to write a report! Just... shout somewhere else. Please," he says, sighing and leaning over to pick up the headphones from the ground. </p>
<p>Dick looks away, slouching a little. "I'm sorry, Tim. I... I'm going to get changed and take a nap. Then we can make a plan for finding Jason." He ignores Bruce as he heads over to the lockers, and Bruce grunts as he in turn pulls up another chair to begin his own report. He'll change when Dick leaves.</p>
<p>Bruce pauses his typing when Dick storms up the stairs. If it were possible to slam the clock door, he’s sure Dick would have. He takes a deep breath and heads to change outfits as well. Tim continues to click and occasionally type, having moved on from his own report to active research.</p>
<p>He feels wretched. There hasn’t been a fight between the two of them for a while now. Maybe… Maybe Alfred can help him sort out his thoughts.</p><hr/>
<p>Bruce finds Alfred in the small kitchen, but before he can say anything, the older man lays out an omelet and cup of water on the nearby table.</p>
<p>“Master Dick has already eaten, and I will be dragging Master Timothy up to eat as well,” Alfred says, and Bruce practically sags into the chair.</p>
<p>“Al,” he begins, looking down at the blue whorls of the decorated plate, “I think I really messed up.”</p>
<p>Alfred says nothing, but when Bruce looks up, his face is non-judgmental. He’s listening.</p>
<p>“It was… a mistake to put Jason in Arkham. Jason… he…”</p>
<p>At this, Alfred grows alarmed. “Is he-”</p>
<p>“No, he’s- he’s alive. Thank God. No, he’s… the Joker has… The Joker manipulated him like he did Harleen Quinzel. Jason was calling him ‘Mister J’ and said-” He can’t say anymore suddenly, throat closing, tears pricking at his eyes. “I failed him. Oh God. The Joker held a gun to Jason and made him- and made him-”</p>
<p>Alfred has never been good at overt displays of emotion, but he presses a hand against Bruce’s shoulder. “It will be alright. As long as Master Jason is still alive, it will be alright.” Bruce thinks Alfred is trying to convince himself of that too, but Bruce grasps at the words desperately, seizing onto the hope. “And… if you failed him, then so did I. I, too, thought the Asylum would be suitable.” Alfred squeezes Bruce’s shoulder, closing his eyes and inhaling sharply. </p>
<p>Bruce thinks Alfred doesn’t want to know all the exact details. He’s already pale, and has probably guessed. But instead he says nothing, removing his hand from Bruce’s shoulder, and turns back to his work. “Eat up, Master Bruce. You won’t be able to help Jason on an empty stomach.”</p>
<p>Nodding, Bruce slowly begins to eat the omelette. Normally everything Alfred makes is delicious, but today it just tastes like nothing at all.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings: oblique suicide ideation mention, the shock collar is briefly used on Jason, &amp; mentions of the gun threat and rape from the first chapter</p>
<p>And that's 20,000+ words! I didn't expect to write this much, it's kind of gotten out of hand.</p>
<p>God I hate describing cars. They exist. There are too many of them. I hate them all, including the car I drive.</p>
<p>Anyway. Tim and Barbara make an appearance! When I first started this fic, my knowledge of Batman stuff was mostly from the Under the Red Hood movie, so that's why neither of them showed up in previous chapters. I might toss in more comics stuff as I feel like it. This also means that Jason never kicked the crap out of Tim in the Titans Tower, by the way - Jason has no idea there's a third Robin. That IS giving me ideas, haha.</p>
<p>Please do not ask me about timelines though, comics are confusing. I am guesstimating. </p>
<p>I will try to get the next update up within a reasonable time frame, but I make no promises. The new Stardew Valley update is out and I must farm.</p>
<p>As always, kudos and comments are appreciated! Happy Holidays and let's all hope and work to make 2021 a better year than last!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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